Ryuuko - Fallen Blade
by Winter Cheshire
Summary: This is the story of what might have happened had Sword Art never been created... A story of a Fantasy World VMMORPG called Ryuuko – Fallen Blade. If Sword Art had not been the game that Kazuto Kirigaya had beta-tested for... what would be different? What would the relationships to the other characters be? (Could possibly change to Rated M later) Kazuto/Kirito X OC
1. Ryuuko - Prologue and Character Profile

I do not own any of the characters and I have borrowed some basic plot ideas from SAO. In other words they are not mine.

I do however hold ownership of Akemi, Ryuuko, and my other OCs. o u o

I apologize if Kirito/Kazuto seems OOC at times;;; That's my fault...

* * *

Ryuuko is the name of the world, in English roughly translated to Willow Lake. The world has been through its beta phase and is opening up to the general public. A beta-tester named Kirito is entering this world again after the 3 months of being offline before the server reopened after closing from the beta. His first encounter back in this world is with a newbie player, not what he expected. He meets a few players along the way, as well as some former betas. But at the end of the day he is still able to log out and get thrown back into his reality… But that's all about to change.

Ryuuko Character Classifications:

-Martial Artist: The main bladeless-class of Ryuuko, Martial Artists can wield weapons of the martial arts that do NOT have a cutting edge. Many martial artist users can borrow lower-level techniques from the sage class and occasionally the chi-user class.

-Swordsman: One of the most common class on Ryuuko, this is the most diverse class as well. Swordsmen users can use any variety of sword available, but this class also includes any of those weapons with a cutting edge, such as spears and bladed fans. Swordsmen can only be backed by the Knight Attribute or the sage-attribute.

-Sage: The sage class is mainly an assisting class, and is the closest class to Chi-Users. Many sage-class users are just meant for backup and for healing, but occasionally they'll be backed with a weapon-wielding attribute, much like the martial artists who can borrow techniques.

-Archer: This class is very specialized, and cannot be backed by any other attributes.

-Gunman: The gunman attribute speaks for itself, and they can only be backed by chi-user attributes. But to become a gunman, you have to pass a special quest on the fifth level and then on the twelfth level of Ryuuko. And the catch is that you have to complete it with a 95% score or higher, otherwise you don't get the attribute. This is why this class is very rare.

-Knight: Knight-class users are Swordsmen-class users that have completed a series of quests with a 90% score or higher, located on the 4th, 15th, 22nd, and 30th levels of Ryuuko. When you complete each quest, you receive an item voucher for a shop located on the 31st level where you attain knight-class items.

-Chi User: The rarest class of Ryuuko, infact so rare that you can't become one without completing a quest on each of the first 10 floors with a 100% score on the first try. If you fail, you are given the option to change your class, but you cannot reapply for the chi-user class. That's why only 6 of the beta-users are of the Chi-user class, and so few of the newbie players are able to keep their status of being a chi-user past level 2.

* * *

Name: Akemi Ryugazaki

Ryuuko User: Black Fox

Appearance (Real World): Short plum-colored hair, lavender eyes. Fair skin and slightly childish face without her glasses; very professional looking with glasses. Well rounded figure, though has a larger bust than most girls. Tends to hide behind large sweaters and jackets, bangs hang in her face all the time.

Appearance (Ryuuko): Long, flowy black hair under a floor-length lace-lined veil. Wears a black and gold fox-mask that is a one of a kind item. Dressed in a corest-style dress with a black lace-skirt over a black satin layer with a swirl-pattern along the hem, neckline shows off her figure and creates an X below her neck before wrapping around to tie in the back. Also wears black boots with a gold cross-motif and a gold pin on her dress as well. Eye color unknown, no one has ever seen her eye color in-game.

Backstory: Akemi grew up and still lives in the same neighborhood as Kazuto, though she doesn't really talk to him very much because they're both busy with school. Akemi, being 4 years older than Kazuto, finds that it's not an easy thing to be friends with him because many people say she can't interact with others her own age. Akemi's mother passed away when she was 8, and her little brother, who is Kazuto's age, is stuck in the hospital. She lives with her cousin's family because her father is always away on business, but she does go back there sometimes to be alone. She signed up for Ryuuko so she could be someone other than the lonely boring Akemi. In Ryuuko, she's extremely well known among the players as one of only 6 beta-users whose main attribute is Chi-User.

Other: Akemi loves sweets, and it's one of the few things she can't go without; the others being her computer, tea, and her hobby of making stuffed animals.

* * *

I would really appreciate if I could get some reviews ; u ;

Do you like it? Does it lack something?

If you're just gonna criticize with no reason or not say what I can do to fix it, then I will ask that you not comment at all please...

Constructive criticism is fine. Telling me what I can fix is fine.

Thank you very much ; u ;


	2. Level One - Trapped

**Level One: Trapped**

* * *

_General PoV- Level One: Base Town_

Kirito wandered through town, searching for information. Why had no one been able to get to level 2? It had been a whole week, and yet somehow the first level boss was nowhere to be seen. He kept wandering when he felt someone watching him, just like he had the day before, and the day before that. He turned around, but he saw no one. He continued to walk, feeling as though he was being followed, so he ducked into an alley and waited for the person to come to him… but he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around with his sword, only to stop himself when he saw who it was. "Black Fox…?" he looked concerned. She was slightly tattered, her outfit still at the beginner level, but her signature mask still there. Her veil wasn't there, and her outfit looked like a plain black armor with kimono-like sleeves that left her shoulders exposed, her armor itself covering up to her neck all the way to her stomach, the skirt a simple pleated one and her boots just tall black ones, unlike her once fancy cross-motif boots from the beta.

"Kirito… sorry for sneaking up on you." She said, bowing her head to him. "I wasn't quite sure if it was you." She looked around in a paranoid manner, confusing Kirito even more. "You… haven't seen any other beta testers yet right?" she asked, looking worried.

"No…" he shook his head. "What's bothering you so much?" he asked, tilting his head. "And what happened to you, you're a mess." He added, making her flinch a little. She sighed a bit, as though trying to find the right words. But he noticed something… she was alone. During the beta she'd had a partner, White Fox… "Hey… wait, where's your partner?"

"She… went off on her own… at the end of day 1, she terminated the partnership." She said, shocking Kirito a bit. "That's when she started killing off the newbies…" But something she said worried him. Kill. She never used that term in the beta, she always said K.O. or knock out… never kill.

"What do you mean, kill?" he asked, sounding slightly concerned, but before he could get a response they heard a scream. Black Fox's head shot up and she headed for the main square, Kirito following closely. They arrived to see one of the newbie players HP bar fade out to 0, and then vanish into thin air. Everyone in the square panicked, seeing as no one ever vanished from the game like that in the past week when they lost all their HP. Black Fox's hand balled into a fist and she seemed on edge.

"Damn it all, White Fox…" he heard her murmur.

"And so another newbie bites the dust." Everyone looked up to see a woman in all white with a white fox-mask and a white and red cloak grinning. "Too bad, so sad… all you newbies are so weak~"

"Who the hell are you?!" one of the people in the square yelled.

"What did you do to my partner?!" the person who'd been closest to the person who vanished exclaimed. "Well?!" But White Fox just laughed, keeping her distance from the players.

"Don't waste your breath. Before you know it, anyone who fails to comply will face the same fate." She grinned. "See you, brats!" her cackle resonated as she disappeared to somewhere else, all the people in the square trying to figure things out.

"Black Fox… what happened?" Kirito asked her, following her as she turned heel to get out of the square. "Hey, don't walk away!" he managed to catch up with her once they were outside the town.

* * *

_Grass Plain_

"She's gone off her rocker… what is White Fox thinking?" she mumbled, sitting down on a hill overlooking the Grass Plain. Kirito sat down next to her, looking at her until she looked up. "Sorry… I've been trying to figure this out since she left, it's been making me crazy…" she rubbed her neck. "White Fox has been power-hungry… she's been collecting a party of both betas and newbies to do her fighting and dirty work for her as she works her level up to what it was during the beta… I've been trying to keep up but… it's been impossible to do alone." She sighed again.

"Do you have your Chi-User status?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do… I completed the level one quest, but I don't want to go into the level one dungeon on my own… I've seen at least 10 parties already of 3 or more people go in, most of them got stuck or couldn't make it past the boss."

"So what are you suggesting?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You're gonna form a Raid Party?" she shook her head. "Then what?"

"I don't know… it just bothers me cause White-Fox already has her level 6 items back… and yet somehow no one has gotten past the level one boss… I think she's hacked the system somehow."

"Hacked? How?" he asked, wondering what was really bothering her.

"I wish I could tell you." She said. The sun began to set and Black Fox looked over her shoulder at the town. "I just don't get why she's messing around with newbies… if she was on a power hunt, she should be going after the beta testers…" They stayed there for a minute, both thinking about what was going on. Kirito stared at the sunset, then turned to Black Fox.

"Don't stress out. Maybe you should log out and think about it later?"

"… yeah." She managed a nod, pulling up her personal screen. But… "Hey. Where's my logout button?" she asked, going through her menu again, but not seeing it. Kirito looked concerned, opening his menu and finding that his button was also missing. "What's going on?" he heard her ask.

"Do you think it's a system glitch?" he asked, still looking for his logout button.

"If it were, I would think that the data team would have sent out a notice… and I've got nothing." She replied, closing her window and trying again, only to find that it was still not there. "This isn't good…" she mumbled. "C'mon, let's go see if anyone in town is having the same problem. It could just be an area glitch." She said, getting up and heading back to town, Kirito following her.

* * *

_Base Town_

Upon arriving in town, the pair realized that everyone was in a panic. No one seemed to be able to log out. Black Fox sighed again. "What's happening?"

"Didn't you hear?" one of the newbie players walked up to them. "Everyone's panicking cause no one can log out… and the news has been reporting deaths on forcibly removed nerve gears." He shared the article with them and as they read it over, everything was falling into place. "Apparently a beta tester named White Fox is responsible, claiming that she's the one who made this happen."

"What? She is?" Black Fox asked. They went around town, asking for more information, mostly hearing that White Fox was claiming responsibility. "She's gone completely insane…" she mumbled, sighing. "This is ridiculous… and if a character loses all of their HP, then does that mean they die in the real world too?"

"I think it might be possible." Kirito said, sitting down with her at the edge of the square, holding some bread. "You should eat… I heard that we actually get hungry here now too…"

"Ah… thanks…" she mumbled as he handed her half a loaf. "Oh, here…" she retrieved a bottle of vegetable spread from her inventory. "You liked this in the beta, right?"

"Oh, you got this already?" he asked, accepting some of the spread for his bread before eating. "You… remembered that I liked it?"

"You were pretty much the only one from the beta who stuck around for more than one mission… though you ran off right after we got past the 23rd boss…" she said, smiling a little as she ate. "I tend to remember things like that for the sake of keeping in touch…" she stopped herself, looking at Kirito. "So… what are we going to do about that level one boss?"

"I say you two stop sulking alone over here and come join the party!" the newbie who'd shown them the article earlier that day said, having snuck up on them. "We're all talking about getting a group together to eliminate the level one boss. Using our map-data and whatnot."

"That's a bold move." Black Fox said, shrugging. "Besides, the level one boss is a heavy hitter. One false move, and you get knocked out right?"

"How'd you know that?" Another newbie asked. But before anyone had time for accusations, she pulled out a guide book from her cloak.

"I got it on day one. The general store has them." She stated, opening it to the page about the level one boss, the basic description stated underneath the empty faceless picture that wouldn't fill until you fought the boss.

"Smart girl." Everyone turned to see a tall man with a broadsword on his back. "You were one of the first people to pick that up from us." He grinned.

"Oh, good evening Agil-san…" Black Fox said.

"Evening, Black Fox." He half-saluted her. "This your friend?" he asked, looking at Kirito. "He wasn't with you when you came in on day one."

"Ah, well…"

"We knew each other from a different game…" Kirito covered for her. "Our users were the same, so it was easy to find each other."

"Oh? That's cool." Agil nodded. "Anyway, come on. You two look like you could help us out." Kirito looked reluctant but eventually agreed, Black Fox going without a word.

"So it's decided?" Diabel asked as everyone sat around the fire. "We set out the day after tomorrow for the first boss." The group did a spirit-raising cheer… but Black Fox and Kirito sat back, looking concerned. Black Fox was over-thinking everything. Kirito didn't want to be in the middle of the chaotic and slightly drunk group.

"We pairing up then?" Black Fox broke the silence between herself and Kirito. "For the mission tomorrow? We have to form a party, after all…"

"Sure." Kirito mumbled half-heartedly, putting forth the connection for their team. She accepted the invitation and they just watched as the group carried on their festivities. "Should we do some practice tomorrow then?"

"I suppose we should…" she replied. The two got up to leave back to their lodgings for the night as the celebration died down in favor of a peaceful, albeit tense night.


	3. Level Two- Ensnared

**Level Two: Ensnare**

* * *

_Level One: Boss Dungeon Door_

Kirito and Black Fox waited with the group who were going over the plan one more time. Black Fox and Kirito were going to be taking out the minions of the boss, along with a few other newbies. The main group would be taking on the boss in groups to do the most damage and hopefully not take too many hits. The group agreed to the plan and opened the doors, proceeding cautiously, Black Fox and Kirito entering last. The doors closed behind them and the boss awoke, looking much more vicious than he had in the beta.

The minions attacked the others, but before they could land a hit, Black Fox seemed to materialize in front of them, knocking them all back with a kick. Because she was backed with Martial Arts attributes, she didn't need a weapon to fight. Kirito began to assist her, slicing at the minions who were a little slower to get to their feet after the kick. When they got too close to Kirito, he would back off and Black Fox would go in again to send them flying. A few of the teams not currently attacking watched, fairly impressed, some skeptical of the pair's technique.

But, as the boss's bar got down to the red, something changed. The boss gained a white tattoo on his face and it looked like a white fox face. Black Fox noticed and she charged at the monster as Kirito finished off the last minion. Diabel, their group leader, attempted to stop her, but she parried the monster's attack with her level one Chi-User move, making a chip in its weapon. "Move! Get back!" she called to the others, jumping back herself. "That thing's on White-Fox's side… I bet she gave it power way higher than the level one boss." She said to Kirito as she saw it charging an attack that was certainly not part of the beta.

"How do you know?" one criticizer asked.

"Did you not SEE that tattoo on its face?" she asked. "It's the same design as White-Fox's mask."

"Yeah well it's the same as yours too!" one stated, not seeming to notice that he was in line with the attack. Black Fox jumped in his way, only to have Diabel jump in her way, protecting her.

"D-diabel!" the other members attacked the Boss, only to get thrown, but their health bars remained in the yellow, unlike Diabel's.

"Are you alright?" he asked, smiling, bleeding from his mouth.

"You idiot…" she mumbled. "You didn't have to save me…"

"… I had to…" he said. "You're probably the only one who could settle the score with White Fox and get everyone out…" he chuckled. "Besides, saving you during the beta level one was fun~ You seemed REAL happy about it."

"Sh-shut up." She mumbled, seeing his HP meter fall down even further. She rummaged for a healing potion but he wouldn't take it. "Diabel…"

"Its fine… don't waste that on me… save it for someone more important to you." He said as his meter hit 0. "Like that friend of yours… what was his name again?" Black Fox watched him start fading away. "Oh right… Kirito." He grinned. "Now go beat that thing and take back the special item you got in the beta…" he said, fading out completely. Black Fox took a ragged breath, getting up, the charge levels of her Chi, which should not have been possible before she finished all to quests for the official title, skyrocketing.

"Kirito." He got to her side. "We're taking that thing down." She stated, glaring at the boss. "Can we switch? You distract, I deal the blows?" she asked him, not taking her eyes off the Boss, who was getting ready to attack again. Everyone else was on the sidelines, recovering or watching the fight, too scared of dying to attack the Boss alone.

"You got it." He said, getting into his stance. "But what are you going to do…?"

"If White Fox could hack her user profile before getting up to the level 10 Chi-User Quest, then I can too…" she mumbled, going into her menu and pulling up a screen that Kirito had never seen before. "Activate Shiki-Arts… Black Protocol…" the window glowed and her veil from the beta appeared, hovering over her until she pulled it down over her head. "Go." She stated, both of them charging the Boss. Kirito attacked, knocking the weapon away before she got in to deal a devastating attack. "Shikigami Art! Midnight Pinwheel!" she landed a palm-thrust to the Boss' face, shattering the fox tattoo and sending it flying back into the door that lead to level 2. She got up close to it in a split second, shocking everyone in the room. "Shikigami Art! Shadow of the Black Sky Sickle!" the Boss was sliced right in half by what looked like the shadow of a scythe, dissolving into nothing almost instantly. The prize-window appeared in front of Black Fox, the XP and Money windows appearing as well for everyone in the room.

"We did it!" people cheered. But Black Fox headed straight for the door.

"Stop cheering! That b*tch is a Beta-tester! She didn't bother to protect Diabel!" one exclaimed.

"I couldn't have…" she stated, turning to look at them through her mask. "Diabel jumped infront of me because he wants me to kill White Fox… and I will…" she stated. "With or without anyone else's help." She mumbled. Kirito stood next to her, "I may be a beta, but if you check you can see how that technique takes out my energy and HP." She brought it up to show everyone. Her health bar was in the red, almost entirely at zero. Her energy bar, as a chi-user, was nearly empty as well. "To be a Chi-user means to be willing to sacrifice one's self for the sake of winning. The only reason I'm not dead too is because everyone here helped." She said, looking ragged, Kirito offering her a health potion but she declined it. "And just so you IDIOTS know… one third of the people who were killed before today were Beta-testers… that INCLUDES Diabel…" she stated. "So stop trying to pin this on me being a damn beta." She changed her boots out to the ones she'd just received, turning on a heel and heading for the door. She turned to Kirito. "Here." She sent him the other item she'd gotten from beating the boss. "You deserve this…" she opened the door, only to feel a hand on her shoulder.

"You're not going ahead alone." He stated. "If these guys don't like beta-testers, then I'm going with you." He added, turning to them, having just changed into the item she sent him. The Midnight Knight's Cloak. She gave half a laugh.

"Fine with me…"

* * *

_Level Two: Pine Town_

The pair walked around the town, checking on a couple of things and making sure they had what they needed before going to search for lodging. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I should be asking you that." He said, looking up at her as they walked to the nearest inn. "You gave one hell of a speech back there… they had no business blaming you for Diabel's death."

"No, but…" she sighed. "Diabel… shouldn't have jumped in front of me…" she said as they made it inside the inn. They remained quiet until they got to their room. The two beds were large enough for one person comfortably, two people in a much… cozier manner. "I'm going to sleep." She stated, earning a nod from Kirito. But as she lay down, he looked confused.

"Are you going to leave your mask on?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked him.

"No… but… isn't it weird to sleep with a mask on?"

"No… not at all…" she turned to him, the smirk he remembered from when they met in the beta coming to her face. "What, do you want to see my face, Kirito~?" she asked, chuckling. He blushed, shaking his head furiously.

"O-of course not!" he stated.

"Awww… okay then I won't show you~" she said, turning over on her side to face away from him, the veil placed back in her inventory and her armor as well. "Night, Kirito."

"N-night…" he mumbled, staring at her for a moment before turning away to look out the window. She was still the same, teasing woman she was in the beta… so what was making him so… happy?


	4. Level Three - Strung Up

**Level Three: Strung Up**

* * *

_Level Ten: Drift City Open Market _

"Has it really been a whole 2 months already?" Black Fox mumbled as she walked with Kirito through the open market, getting supplies and whatnot for their travel through level 14, the "graveyard" of the first 15 levels… the death toll on that level was high, even for the front-lines. The stronger guilds that managed to form were already reaching levels in the twenties range. But… their levels weren't a match for Kirito. They had formed a team of sorts, but they had yet to associate themselves with a guild… and for good reason. They weren't getting attacked or anything, but… a lot of bad rumors were going around the betas, despite much of it being just bad rumors… some of what they were saying was surprisingly true.

"I think that's about right." Kirito said as they headed back to their lodging. "We leave tomorrow morning, so we should be sure to get our rest…" he said, noticing some people walk past them, hearing their mumbled rumors. Rumors that many of the beta-testers were working with White Fox, and those who were not were either lucky to be alive, or already dead. Upon arriving back at the lodge, one of the people at the door stopped them.

"Hey, you two…" The group was four boys and one girl, and the girl seemed a little worried… no more like shy? "Are you two staying here too?"

"What's it to you?" Black Fox asked, looking a little on edge from their sudden question. Kirito put a hand on her shoulder, making her stop and calm down a little.

"Ah, so you are… you two are something, being all lovey dovey in the middle of this death game…" the one in green armor said, making the blonde and the one in purple armor nod in agreement. "But its kind of refreshing…"

"O-oi oi we aren't…" Kirito said, Black Fox's cheeks tinting ever so slightly pink. The girl noticed their slight discomfort and urged her friends to stop making fun of them.

"A-anyway, what do you guys want?" Black Fox asked.

* * *

_Level Nineteen: Torrent Falls_

Kirito sat at the edge of the falls, staring off into space. He'd been there for hours already, waiting… well, more like remembering. This was where Keita jumped when Kirito had told him that Sachi and the others had died in the level 24 dungeon. He was remembering him jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. He almost drew his sword when he noticed who it was. "Black Fox…" he mumbled, sighing. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

"Don't be…" she sat down and handed him a fruit. "Eat. You need it." She said, glancing over at him with a look that showed how much she knew about his state of mind. She'd seen Keita jump too… but she was handling things better than he was. "And stop blaming yourself… Sachi didn't want to see you this way, right?" his eyes went wide and he turned to her, seeing her staring at him from under her mask. Black Fox had been kind of… well, not distant but she hadn't wanted the boys to make fun of them like they had the first day they met… and she had been leaving space for Sachi to get close to Kirito, everyone was able to see that. But right now the only thing that matted was moving forward. "So, let's continue on."

* * *

_Level Twenty Six: Windmill City_

Black Fox was sitting on the roof of the lodging she and Kirito were in, waiting for him to come back from his solo mission. He said he needed some time, so she let him have it. She noticed him headed her way and climbed back in through the window to go and greet him. He came into the room, carrying what looked like a little box. "O-oh, hey…" he said, looking a little surprised to see her.

"Hey." She said, smiling a little. "What shall I cook for dinner, Kirito?" she asked. His cheeks got a little pink but he composed himself and told her to cook whatever she wanted to. "W-we have a long day ahead tomorrow so don't stress out over what I want…"

"Well too bad." She said, smiling at him. She paused to think about a few things. "So… how long has it been, anyway?" she asked him, sitting down on the floor. Kirito paused, looking at her.

"Around 7 months…" he mumbled, sitting down on the bed. "M-maybe it would be better to travel separately…"

"Don't try going off on your own." She stated immediately. "You saw it… how many players went solo and got killed by White Fox's army before they even managed to get to the next level…" she stated, looking almost child-like with worry. "I… I don't want to see you get hurt…" she mumbled, looking back at him. He stared back before nodding to her. Even if he was more prone to going off on his own, he couldn't leave her alone. He didn't quite get why, though.

* * *

_Level Twenty Seven: Seaside Drop-Off_

Black Fox and Kirito walked towards town, a little tired but no worse for wear. "I can't believe that we got ambushed right off the bat…" she mumbled as they headed towards the town. "Those players had no regard for their own safety."

"Even so…" Kirito mumbled. "They're all still alive, right?" he asked her, looking up at her mask. "So don't worry about it." He mumbled. It seemed whenever someone attacked them and accused them of working with White Fox, she got all strung up on it. She got a little depressed and sometimes was really hard to get back to a good state of mind. He was about to say something when he heard a twig snap, making him draw his sword. He glanced around, Black Fox looking around as well. "Who's there?!" he exclaimed, waiting to see who it was. Someone in a cloak stepped out from the tree line, stopping where they could still retreat if they had to. Black Fox looked a little tense, and then he realized why. The person's boots were white with red trim… that was how White Fox dressed too. Was this person one of her soldiers?

"I'm not an enemy." The person stated, looking up at them. "Are you Black Fox?" she asked, looking right at the girl in the veil.

"That's me. Who are you?" she responded, hoping that this person wasn't an enemy. After a short pause, the person removed their hood, her long orangey-colored hair a nice compliment to her eyes, which were a similar color. "… Asuna."

"You remember me?" she asked, walking over. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"I'm glad to see you too… You seem to be much better." Black Fox said, a small smile coming to her lips. "I was wondering when I'd see you again… It's been a long time."

"Huh?" Kirito looked at Black Fox, then at the girl Asuna.

"Oh, sorry… Kirito, this is Asuna. I met her back in Base Town on day 2." She said to him. "Asuna, this is Kirito. He was in the beta with me."

"O-oi is it okay to just tell her that out of nowhere?" he asked.

"It's fine. Asuna wasn't in the beta, but she doesn't think badly of us." Black Fox stated. "She's seen what White Fox has been doing, and she knows we aren't helping her either." Kirito sighed and gave in to the explanation, but he seemed a little uncomfortable. "Anyway, Asuna…" she looked back at the girl. "I hate to ask but…"

"It's fine. Lodging's all set up for you two." She said, turning around to lead the way back towards the town. "And people are waiting."

"People?" Kirito asked as he followed them both. "What do you mean, people? Who else knows we're here?" he asked, almost sounding accusing. But Black Fox put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax… I contacted them last night." She stated to him as they weaved through the trees. "This town's getting notorious for getting really aggressive towards any betas who pass through here… We needed people who weren't beta testers here first, so we wouldn't be questioned." She said to him, sighing as they got close enough to see the town lights. She paused, putting a hand on her mask and removing the mask for the first time in front of anyone. Kirito stared for a moment as she also removed her veil, her long black hair finally visible for the first time in a long time. Her eyes were a stunning purple color, almost like the tail end of a sunset in a way, tinted blue. "Come on, let's go…" she said as they headed into town.

As they made it to the inn's dining room, they saw people waiting for them. "Welcome back, Asuna." One man stated.

"Good to be back." She said as she closed the door behind the new comers.

"Hey. You lost the mask?" one man asked Black Fox, getting right up in her face, only to be glared at and back off in mock fear. "So scary~" he laughed, the others joining in. "Don't be like that, we missed ya."

"Whatever." She sighed, shaking her head at them. "In any case, you guys are working hard… thanks…" she said, smiling. Her eyes showed her emotions strongly, and Kirito assumed that was why she wore the mask. "So… did you find anything?"

"White Fox has been gathering huge numbers of Beta Players and then some hackers who didn't get into the beta…" one man stated to them, opening a little book. "Any beta who refused her offer got killed." She turned her gaze down, hating to hear that.

"Don't be so gloomy, you're making her all mad." A woman said, going over to Black Fox and Kirito, putting her arms around their shoulders. "And I'm sure her boyfriend isn't too pleased to hear that either."

"D-don't call us that, Suzuka!" Black Fox said, cheeks turning pink immediately. The group laughed, Kirito's cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. "St-stop laughing, it isn't funny!"

"Aww come on… I was kidding, Black Fox." She grinned. "Anyway, she's planning something big… so I say we start gathering allies of our own!" the room agreed whole-heartedly with her, raising their glasses, somehow one getting shoved to both Black Fox and Kirito. "To our new guild!"

"Wait wait, what?" Black Fox asked, looking confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

"What else? If White Fox has an army, then you, Black Fox, need a guild!" Suzuka said, downing her drink in one long chug. "So, leader~! Lead us~!"

"Yeah, Black Fox! Lead us!"

"You guys are all crazy…"

"I…" she looked down at the glass in her hand. "Even if I wanted to… I can't…" she mumbled. "White Fox won't take this sitting down… she'd come and attack you guys if we separate… besides, if you stay associated with me… the people who are aggressing against the betas are just going to cause you trouble…" the room fell silent, seeing how upset she looked. "I appreciate the offer, but… you guys know that's not safe…" she said, materializing her mask and putting it back on. "Sorry…" she got up and left the room, Kirito watching her leave to take a walk, so he assumed.

"Aw man, I told you it wouldn't go over well." Suzuka sighed. "She's all depressed again… not that I blame her, after what happened to Hibiya."

"To who?" Kirito asked, turning to them. They looked at each other, but Asuna took a step closer to him. "Who's Hibiya?"

"Hibiya… was a smart guy. He was a beta tester, and he introduced us to Black Fox on day one of the public server." One person said. "He said, when we got to the right level, we should all start a guild together. And of course, he would lead… and he asked Black Fox if she'd join us…"

"But… that night, when we were all out partying; celebrating our new alliance… White Fox showed up." Suzuka mumbled.

"Hibiya-san… was killed by White Fox because he said he wanted to keep Black Fox from being alone." Asuna stated. "She's got it out for her former partner… said that she doesn't deserve to be loved cause she's nothing but bad luck." She added.

"And how would she know that?" Kirito asked, starting to piece things together.

"I think White Fox knows Black Fox form real life… and probably knows about her past too. Cause when she killed Hibiya… I heard her say something about "Another one lost to your bad luck."…" Suzuka said. "It sounded like they knew each other…"

"Even if they did, White Fox is one messed up girl." Another person stated.

"Yeah really… I mean, if this is some sort of problem with Black Fox, why drag everyone into it? And if not, then what's the deal?" someone else chimed in. Kirito stared at his glass a moment longer before putting it down on the table and going to look for Black Fox. "H-hey, where's he going?"

"Let him go." Asuna said, watching him hurry outside. "I think they've been travelling together for a while, but she's never told him what happened… just let them talk this out." The others nodded in agreement, a slightly unsettled calm coming over the room as the rain started to come down outside. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

((Guys, thanks for viewing my story so far ; u ;''' Though you've made this my most viewed story yet, I still don't have any reviews and I'd like to know what you think... if you don't mind... So please review if you want to give your opinion, or even if you're just asking for another chapter ; u ;'''

Also um, I'd like to ask if you guys would rather see Flashbacks to the beta, a more progressive relationship between Black Fox and Kirito, or if you'd like me to get them back to the real world faster? ; u ;''' I don't want to get stuck in the middle of this story so... opinions are appreciated.

-Winter Cheshire))


	5. Level Four - Connection

**Level Four: Connection**

* * *

_Level Twenty Seven: Seaside Town_

Kirito got outside just as the rain started to come down, glancing around to see if Black Fox was anywhere in sight. He caught a glimpse of her turning a corner and followed after her as she headed closer to the edge of town. The rain kept coming down but Kirito was determined to get answers, and Black Fox didn't seem to care about the rain at all. He went to her as she stopped at the end of the cobblestone path, putting a hand on her arm. She jumped a little and whipped around, seeing Kirito and hastily trying to wipe away the tears and rain streaming down her face. Kirito was a little shocked but he didn't let go. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'll be fine…" she mumbled, knowing that her tears were obvious, even in the rain. Her voice showed it too, how upset she was. She pulled herself together and managed to smile a little. "Sorry about running out like that…" Kirito just stared at her for a minute before reaching up, swiftly removing the Black Fox mask from her face, her eyes full of loneliness… sadness… a little shock from the sudden loss of the barrier that kept her emotions under wraps. "K-kirito…?"

"You may not want to tell me everything, but still… You hide behind a generic name, a mask… and you are scared to get close to too many people… you came here to get away from everything in the real world, right?" he kept staring at her, noticing her attempting to say something only to stop herself and sighing inwardly. "Only to find that people still want to connect with you…" he mumbled, watching her look right at him, practically staring into his soul.

"… you seem to feel a similar way about some things…" she mumbled, smiling weakly at him. "You didn't need to come out here to get me…" she said, looking up at the sky. "But you did anyway, though…" she looked back down at him, a small smile tugging at her expression. "Can I ask why?" she tilted her head sideways. He blushed, seeing her smile and look almost happy again so suddenly, and yet still so vulnerable did a number on his heart.

"I-i… um… I just…" he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sh-should we get back?" he asked, trying to change the subject, still grasping her arm. But Black Fox shook her head, managing to get him to let go of her arm in exchange for grabbing onto his sleeve.

"Not yet…" she said softly, still smiling. "Please?" she leaned back against the tree and pulled him with her a little, Kirito ending up leaning on the same tree, shoulder to shoulder with Black Fox. "What do you think of the rain, Kirito?" she asked as she stared at the town, watching the rain keep coming down. "Is it good? Bad? A neutral party?"

"… I dunno." He mumbled, letting her hold onto his sleeve. "I guess… it's okay… sometimes." He glanced over at her, seeing her looking like she was remembering something, his heart thumping a little more. He forced himself to turn away, cheeks bright red. "A-are you going to keep hiding under that mask all the time?" he questioned, making her sigh.

"I don't mean to hide… but I show too much emotion through these eyes. If White Fox noticed, she'd use whatever emotions I show her against me…" she mumbled. "And unfortunately I can't do the same with her… she only wears the mask as a means of being noticed…" she glanced over at Kirito. "But that's fine… I've always liked stuff like Fox Masks and whatnot…" she took her mask back from him with her unoccupied hand, making contact for a few moments and almost seeming to linger before she put the mask back in her inventory.

"Always? Why's that?" he asked, trying not to let the situation get awkward with her by falling silent or fumbling for words.

"… my mother used to love this stuff… she'd always be making little charms of fox masks or dolls with fox masks… she'd take me out to festivals and the first thing we would always do was buy one from her friend's booth…" she stopped herself, smiling a little at the memories. "Ah, sorry… I'm going on about the real world when we still need to get out of here…"

"Don't be." He said, managing half a smile back at her. "Do you live with your parents?"

"… not really…" she mumbled, looking at him, her eyes sad despite the smile still there on her lips. "My mother passed away about 10 years ago… and my father's never home anymore…" she took a deep breath before she continued. "And my little brother's in the hospital… so I live mostly alone." Kirito paused, looking a little shocked, but not saying anything. This game was their reality for the time being… so telling people here about life in the real world was probably kind of normal…

"You must be worried…" he said. "About your brother, I mean."

"Yeah… I am…" she said, looking at him. "Sorry if this sounds weird… but you remind me of him a little bit… you both like computer games. He said he wanted to be a swordsman class if he ever made it into the game… and judging by appearances, you might be around the same age." she smiled a little more cheerfully. "Maybe I can introduce you two when we get out of here." Kirito nodded, having never seen her so excited about anything.

"Sure." He replied. "Wait, how old do you think I am?" he asked, not quite sure about what she meant by the age comment.

"I'm assuming around 14? Or maybe closer to 15?" she asked. "Just judging by appearances though, I can't say for sure…" she stated. "How old do you think I am?" she asked.

"H-how should I know?"

"Aww, you won't guess?" she asked, grinning a little again, making Kirito's heart rate go up a little. "Come on, please~? I won't get mad, I promise~" she said, leaning in closer to him, looking like she REALLY wanted him to take a guess.

"… I-I guess around 18? 19?" he mumbled, cheeks tinting reddish from her proximity to him. She smiled, nodding at him.

"Going to be 19 in about 5 months~" she said with a smile. "You're pretty good at guessing~" she said cheerfully. He just stood there with her in the rain, cheeks pink, even after she pulled away. "So… did you want to go back now? She asked.

"I guess…" he replied, moving away from the tree and waiting for her to move towards town before he began to walk with her.

That night, Kirito and Black Fox were in their room. Since it was a small lodge, there was only one bed in the room. Some of the people from earlier had made comments about it, though Black Fox didn't seem bothered by them this time around. Kirito got into the bed first, looking over at Black Fox as she sat in front of the window, staring at the sky. "Are you coming to bed?"

"I will… you can go to sleep." She replied, not moving or turning to him as she spoke. He sighed and lay down, making himself comfortable.

"Suit yourself." He said, keeping an eye on her as she sat there. But despite his attempts to keep an eye on her, he found himself falling asleep. Black Fox hardly moved at all in the entire time. He finally passed out, unable to keep his eyes open any more. And once he was asleep, Black Fox turned to look at him, smiling softly. She got up from her seat silently and went to get into bed, careful not to wake Kirito. She lay down and watched him sleep for a while, wondering about things. Kirito opened his eyes and turned to look over his shoulder, seeing her just lying there with a thoughtful look on her face. "Something wrong?"

"No… not really…" she smiled. "Sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, Kirito shaking his head in response. He turned over to face her, staring at her for a moment. "What is it?"

"Are you really okay with sleeping in the same bed as me?" he asked her, making her chuckle. "Wh-what?"

"Sorry… my brother's asked me that before. It's not a big deal." She said. "It's not like we're doing anything. Just… sleeping." She said cheerfully. "So go to sleep, Kirito." She said, petting his head like she did for her brother, withdrawing her hand after a little bit and curling up to sleep. He nodded, finding himself too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

* * *

_Level Thirty Three: Orchard Village_

It had been a month since Black Fox and Kirito split off from Asuna and the others. They were in Orchard Village looking for someone from the beta that contacted Black Fox about information on White Fox. But somehow Black Fox seemed on edge about the meeting. "I still don't think you should come with me." She said to him as they sat in the café eating their lunch. "It's dangerous… especially if it's a trap that she set-"

"Even more reason for me to go with you." He stated to Black Fox as he placed his tea cup on the table. "I can't let you go alone. If she is setting a trap, then at least we have a better chance of getting out of it, right?" Black Fox sighed, looking bothered still. But she nodded, looking up at him. "Good." He smiled at her. But he looked down at her plate and she hardly ate her main dish, but her dessert was completely gone. "You like sweets, huh?"

"Yes~" she smiled. "I always like good sweets~" she said. He blushed a little, pushing his dessert plate to her, his cake only half eaten. "Eh…?"

"You can have it… it's a little too sweet for me…" he said, blushing. Her eyes were a little wide in surprise, but she looked ecstatic about receiving the dessert.

"Thank you, Kirito~" she said cheerfully, her smile not wavering one bit. He just sat there, watching as she ate the cake, finding himself staring at her a little, snapping himself out of it quickly and trying to think about something else. Once she was done, they paid out their tab and left for the orchards where they were supposed to meet the beta tester.

* * *

_Level Thirty Three: Apple Orchard_

Black Fox had taken a seat on a bench under one of the larger apple trees, Kirito leaning against the trunk of said tree as they waited. Black Fox had put her mask back on, not trusting the beta tester coming to meet them. As he approached, Kirito stood up straight and stood behind Black Fox like a body guard in a way. The person who approached was wearing dark red armor and black under-clothes, wearing a helmet and carrying a broad sword on his back. He removed his helmet and smiled. "Long time no see, Black Fox."

"Mabashi…" she stood up, offering her hand to him. "It's been too long, my friend." He took her hand and got to one knee, bowing to touch his forehead to her hand. "I apologize for calling you from the front lines. I know you're busy."

"Not at all. I wanted to make sure you were alright." He stated, glancing at Kirito, who seemed to be glaring. "I'll assume this is the infamous Kirito, then?" he asked, letting go of Black Fox's hand and going to offer his hand to Kirito as a friendly gesture. "It's nice to meet you. Black Fox has told me a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you too." He said, shaking hands with Mabashi. Black Fox walked over to Kirito and stood next to him.

"So, what do you have for me, Mabashi?" she asked.

"White Fox finished gathering recruits on a large scale." He said. "The ones she has recruited are fighting against us on the front lines… a lot of them are strong… I'm certain quite a few are hackers or stronger beta testers… and there's something else."

"Something else?" Kirito asked him.

"… I think she might be coming after the players who are closest to you." Mabashi said to Black Fox. "So… be careful. I don't know exactly what she's trying to do, but if she's going after you it's gotta mean trouble."

"Right… Thanks, Mabashi." She said, handing him a payment for the information before she turned to leave. Kirito glanced back at Mabashi before he followed Black Fox. "Come on, Kirito... we should head to the next floor…"

"Hang on." He said, stopping her from walking. "What's going on?"

"..." she shook her head, and even without removing her mask Kirito could tell she was upset. He sighed and grasped her wrist gently, looking up at her.

"You will be fine… I promise." He said, making her look towards him and much to his surprise, she laughed. "What?"He watched her move her mask to the side of her head.

"You're… so optimistic…" she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders gently. "Thanks… Kirito… I'm sorry about getting worked up over this… I just don't want to see you get hurt too… like so many others…"

"I'm not so easy to kill." He said, blushing but not trying to make her let go. This was a sibling-like embrace… he was fine with it. "Don't worry about me…" his heart dropped a little as he thought about it… was he just a little brother-figure to her?

"And yet I do worry, Kirito…" he felt her arms tighten around his shoulders a little. "… is it… weird? That I like you so much?"

"Wh-what?" he asked, not sure if he heard her right. Kirito felt Black Fox let go and ended up looking her right in the eyes, feeling his cheeks coloring.

"I-I just asked you if it was weird that I like you so much." She stated, cheeks pink, eyes showing both insecurity and affection that Kirito was very unused to, but he felt drawn closer as she stared at him. He shook his head, removing her fox mask for her and taking her hand hesitantly.

"It's not weird…" he mumbled. "C-can we talk more about this later?" he asked, earning a nod of Black Fox's head as she put her mask away. He tugged on her hand a little, leading her back to the town. If this was leading somewhere, he didn't want anyone who wasn't supposed to hear to listen in. And he could tell she was worried about being heard too, so talking this out in their lodging was probably the best idea. But as they headed into town, they noticed a couple of white and red clad people walking by them, a plain white mask with red marks on each of their faces. But because Black Fox wasn't wearing her mask, they walked right past them. "Were those…?"

"They were…" She said, heading quickly back to their room with Kirito. If White Fox's followers were wandering around through town, it meant they were confident that they could take out anyone who challenged them… most likely they were of higher level than many of the players on this level. As they got to their room, they each took a breath, as though they'd been holding it from the orchards. "They're out looking for someone… probably me." She mumbled as she took a glance outside. "We shouldn't stay in this level past tonight… it'll be dangerous."

"Right…" he watched her close the curtains and sit down on the bed, changing out her black corset and lacey dress for a black shirt and skirt in an instant. "You should rest." He said softly, sitting on the other side of the bed she was on. He found that she seemed to sleep better with him nearer to her, so he kind of got used to staying in the bed with her.

"Thanks…" she mumbled, turning to look at him with a smile before she closed her eyes. "… Kirito?"

"Hm?"

"… You can lay down If you want… You should rest too…" He laid down next to her and turned towards her, blushing. "You're much farther away than usual…" she mumbled, not opening her eyes. "Can you come over here? If it doesn't make you uncomfortable that is…" she opened her eyes half way, obviously tired. He got closer and he saw Black Fox smile a little. "Thanks…"

"Don't thank me…" he mumbled, cheeks even redder than before. "J-just sleep…" he said, taking her hand and holding it the way that Mabashi had when they were in the orchard. "Your friend… was a knight-class, right?"

"That's right." She nodded slowly. "Why?"

"… I'm a knight too… so… don't go relying on other knights…" he mumbled, sounding like a jealous child who wanted to be the only one she saw. Her eyes widened a little and she laughed a little.

"Alright, alright… I promise…" she said, petting his head gently. And on an impulse, she leaned over a little, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, blushing a bit. "G-goodnight…"

"Goodnight…" he replied, still a little shocked with the kiss, watching her fall asleep quickly. It wasn't much, but… well… for now, it was more than enough for them both.

* * *

((St-still only one review... ; u ;'' *sigh*  
Is everyone happy with the way I'm writing this? I was in more of a lovey-dovey mood when I wrote this chapter... sorry if it's not all that great...))


	6. Level Five - Memories

**Level Five: Memories**

* * *

_Level Forty Five: Grandure City_

Kirito was sitting in the bath tub in the fancy inn that he was staying at with Black Fox. He was going through his inventory and checking for anything he could sell, wanting to get an item for Black Fox that she'd seen in the shop on this level that she'd wanted from the Beta, but she'd been spending her money on her Skill Enhancements and Potions for the dungeons, mostly the ones that helped her with her Chi-User drawbacks. But she'd also been buying all their food, and she wouldn't let Kirito pay for anything except desserts. He sighed, closing his inventory and leaning back in the tub a little, staring up at the ceiling. 'What am I doing…? She's four years older than me… I don't even know what she really looks like… But she's making my heart race whenever I think about her…' he shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

Meanwhile, Black Fox was sitting in the bedroom, going over a few things and checking in on some of the people that she and Kirito had come in contact with over the months. She counted the days and realized that it had been exactly one year since Kirito had started travelling with her in Ryuuko. 'A whole year already…' she thought, sighing. She looked over at the bathroom door, staring in a daydream for a few moments before she felt her face coloring and she forced herself to turn away. Kirito was too young for her, she had no place feeling this way for him. After about 10 more minutes, she heard the bathroom door open and turned to see Kirito in his long-sleeved shirt and his long pants, a towel draped over his head.

"Do you want to use the bath now?" he asked, looking over at her from where he stood, pulling the towel from over his head to around his neck. She smiled a little and got off the bed.

"Guess I should…" she said, having been wearing her simpler outfit rather than her corset dress. She wandered into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaning against it and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, mentally slapping herself for being such a pervert. She glanced at the tub, cheeks coloring again. Kirito had been in here just now… in that tub… she kept scolding herself for thinking about it as she undressed and filled the tub back up, trying to remain calm. Kirito was a friend… and it had to stay that way. She closed her eyes once she got into the tub, remembering the first week of the Open Server…

* * *

It was day one as Black Fox and White Fox wandered through the first town together, both in their beginner uniforms and wearing their signature fox masks. "So~ Are you going to go looking for one of the beta boys and hook up~?" White Fox asked, grinning. Black Fox turned to her, shaking her head. "Aww why not?"

"White Fox, there's no time for me to get involved with a man… you know that school and my family take up all my time… if I hook up with anyone, I'll never go back to reality…" she mumbled.

"Oh there you go again, being depressed… your self-confidence is non-existent… I swear if a man managed to see you in real life and he didn't think you were at least cute, I'd rip their face off." She scolded her partner. Black Fox sighed.

"Again with the violence… Well, whatever… I'm going to go look for food for the next few levels… maybe go do that veggie spread from the mission from the market girl…" she said. "What about you?"

"I'm going to go training~ I'll see you later~" White Fox ran off without another word, Black Fox being left in the dust. She just shook her head a little at her friend before she wandered to find the market girl and go do that mission for her. After all, that veggie spread was Kirito's favorite- wait… why was she thinking about Kirito? She shook off the thought and just went back to looking for the girl.

* * *

A few hours later, Black Fox was done with the mission and was wandering the town, having bought some food and been waiting for White Fox for over an hour. The sun was going down soon. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Hibiya and a small group of others, all looking like they belonged in different classifications. "Hibiya?"

"Hey, Black Fox~!" he grinned, tousling her hair. "You actually look cute as a newbie~!"

"H-hey!" she complained. "Don't talk to me like I'm a kid!"

"Awww, she's so cute, Hibiya~!" the girl grinned. "She your GIIIRLFRIEND~?"

"Wh-what? N-no way, she was a beta like I was!" he stated, blushing. "D-don't go there, Suzuka." He mumbled, looking embarrassed. Black Fox sighed again, knowing exactly why he was so panicked. "A-anyway, where's that partner of yours?"

"I dunno… she was supposed to meet me back here an hour ago." She said, glancing around. "I haven't seen her since this morning when the server opened… she went off to train."

"I see…" he nodded. "That's not good. Should we help you look for her?"

"No, she can handle herself…" Black Fox said, looking at the group. "So, introductions?"

"Oh, right… These are my friends who want to make a guild with me… I wanted to ask if you and White Fox wanted in." he said softly. "Saito here's our archer." He pointed to the first, shorter boy. "Then we have a sage, Kagami… and then our Swordsman, Tatsuro…" he motioned to the two boys around the same height and with similar faces… enough to be related. "And then Ogawa is our Martial Artist." Hibiya motioned to the tallest boy who gave a grin and a wave to Black Fox. "And then Suzuka-"

"Is your apprentice." Black Fox said, noticing the gun and holster on Suzuka's side. "Same model and everything, huh?" she chuckled.

"Yeah~!" Suzuka said with a huge smile. "Hibiya said the gunman was super good in the beta, so I figured it would be a good path to follow~!"

"Nice to hear." Black Fox said with a small smile. "… oh I see… You want White Fox and I to finish the line up, right?" she asked Hibiya, who flinched a little but grinned and nodded. "Unless… your OTHER motive is what's driving you to ask us?"

"Wh-what other motive? I just… don't want you to be alone is all…" he asked, trying to be oblivious, earning egging-on from his soon to be guild-mates. "A-anyway, let's go wait at the pub." He said, escorting Black Fox there, his friend making fun of him the whole way.

* * *

The group spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for White Fox, but even another hour later she wasn't looking like she'd show up. Everyone decided to head out when she finally showed up, the bar empty and void of everyone except them and a solitary bar tender. "White Fox, there you are." Black Fox got up and went over to her friend, but Hibiya beat her to it. He seemed really happy to see her, offering his hand and motioning for her to join them. And then in an instant, everything changed. A whisper from White Fox… a sickening slicing sound… Hibiya dropping to the floor in a huge pool of his own blood…

"Another one lost to your bad luck." White Fox said, staring right at Black Fox, holding the weapon that had stabbed Hibiya. His HP bar dropped to nothing almost instantly, and instead of coming back after a few seconds, he disappeared into nothing.

"H-hibiya!" Black Fox stood and watched as Suzuka and the others ran over to their friend as White Fox vanished in a swirl of autumn-colored maple leaves. She heard a notification alert and opened her personal panel… White Fox had just disbanded their partnership. She looked over at the others before falling to her knees. It hit her in that instant… Hibiya… was dead. And he wasn't coming back.

* * *

For the next few days, Black Fox spent her time looking for some other betas to warn them… looking for clues as to what was happening… despite still being able to log out every day, she was still scared about what happened… but she had to keep coming back. She had to stop White Fox somehow… And then she saw him… Kirito was walking by in the main square. She blushed and hid in the alley, trying to be calm. She glanced at her beginners uniform… it was in tatters because she'd been training like crazy whenever she wasn't looking for leads. If she approached Kirito… would he be killed too? White Fox always joked about her crush on him… he was young, she knew that much… how young, she wasn't entirely sure. She had to remain calm… collected… Kirito was probably her only hope of taking White Fox down… she would wait till the end of the week… she had to be stronger before she could ask him for help…

* * *

Black Fox opened her eyes when she heard someone knock on the door. "Black Fox?" she sighed a little. It was Kirito. "Are you okay? You've been in there for over an hour."

"Has it been that long?" she asked, getting up and out of the tub, quickly drying off and dressing herself, opening the door. "Sorry… I was thinking." She said with a smile. He shook his head.

"Don't worry about it…" he mumbled, looking a little embarrassed as he stared at her. He'd been doing that a lot recently… and whenever some other man looked at her he'd get this jealous little-kid look on his face and it made her smile. Despite telling herself that she couldn't have him… she just kept feeling more and more attached to Kirito. "Um… you gonna go to bed?" he asked her, cheeks pink. She nodded, the towel draped over her head. They both walked to the bed and sat down, Black Fox still drying her long hair as Kirito made himself comfortable. When she was done drying her hair, she tossed the towel into the corner and laid down in the bed with Kirito. He stared at her for a minute when she got under the blanket, blushing a bit.

"Your face is red…" she chuckled. "Do you want a hug?" she asked, a teasing grin on her face. But Kirito, much to her surprise, nodded and averted his gaze a little, fidgeting under the covers. She nodded, going closer to him and wrapping her arms around him, making him blush more. "Kirito… Is this… strange to you? I mean… it's not like we know much about each other in real life… and if we ever get out of here…"

"We will get out of here." He stated, letting her hold him close. "And… when we do… we can figure things out, okay?" he got a little closer, leaning his head against her shoulder. Black Fox nodded, petting his head carefully. He was willing to wait… but for now, this was okay… she smiled a little as she leaned her head down and pressed her lips against the top of his head.

"Right… when we get out of here…" she said softly. "… can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" he asked her, looking up as he felt her pull away a little to look at him.

"How am I going to find you when we get out of here?" she asked, looking a little sad. He smiled a little, taking her hand again like he had before… as though she were a princess and he were a knight.

"I'll find you… it's not as weird for a 15 year old to come looking for a college student, right?" he smiled, making her blush a little. He kissed the back of her hand. "May I have your name, princess?" he asked, nuzzling against her shoulder a little.

"… It's Akemi… Akemi Ryugazaki…" she said softly, smiling at him. "And may I ask your name, my dear Knight?" she asked, petting his head again.

"Kazuto Kirigaya…" he replied, enjoying the feeling of her running her fingers through his hair. He wondered why her name sounded familiar and he looked up at her, seeing her eyes closed. She must have been exhausted, so he just let her sleep, laying there next to her.

* * *

_Level Forty Five: Grandure Park_

Black Fox was sitting around, waiting for Kirito. He's said that he wanted to go on a hunt, so she was resting on a bench in the park, staring up at the white and gold shower trees. She noticed him heading her way and she stood up to greet him, a cheerful smile on her face. "Welcome back… ready to go?" she asked. But he shook his head, walking up to her and looking her in the eyes. He smiled, dropping to one knee after taking her hand, reaching into his pocket and opening a box as the wind picked up, the flower petals falling from the shower trees.

"Akemi… will you marry me?" he asked, making her cheeks burn red. He'd used her real name… he was down on one knee… she looked at what was in the box and saw a small ring… the Chi-User diamond from the shop on this level. She dropped to her knees, hugging him around the waist.

"I will…" she said cheerfully. She was happy, despite her paranoia of White Fox that still lingered… the here and now was overwhelming. And it was also she cared about, at least for right now… Kirito was here… with her… that made her happy. But she knew that the happiness couldn't last unless White Fox was stopped… "… Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"… I know this is weird to ask but… should we head to the front lines?" she asked. He looked at her as she pulled away a little, knowing she was worried. He nodded, kissing her cheek.

"We can get married on level 50, right? There's a chapel there and everything." He smiled. "Do you know where the front liners are right now?"

"Yeah, they're on level Fifty themselves… and they're stuck because they need a Chi-User to unlock the doors to the upper levels… I figure White Fox isn't into helping them, so if we go, I can probably help them out…" she said, looking happy that he kissed her cheek, putting her hand on the spot with a smile on her lips.

"Then let's go…" he said, taking her hand and helping her stand, leading her towards their lodging. "But first… maybe we can talk a little more? I have a feeling that once we join the front lines we won't have any time for chat…"

"… probably." She said with a small smile as she followed him back, blushing a little. They spent the rest of that day talking to one another about what they did in the real world… what they were like… they had to get to know each other, after all… if they were going to find each other once they got out of this death game.

* * *

((Was it any good? ; u ; They're gonna get married~! Ahaha- *falls over*

A-anywayssss... Things to expect in the next few chapters:

Dramatic Fights o u o

Lovey Dovey relations between Kirito and Black Fox

Jealous little Kirito = u =

Black Fox's reaction to women hitting on Kirito

And stuff like that... ; u ; Thanks for Reading~))


	7. Level Six - Split

**Level Six: Split**

* * *

_Level Forty Nine: Centaur Dungeon_

Kirito and Black Fox wandered through the dungeon, taking out monsters and other targets as they went. They arrived at the dungeon door and paused to look at one another. Black Fox's hand found Kirito's, a light blush coming onto both of their faces. "Ready?" she asked him, smiling lovingly. He nodded in response. "Alright then…" she let go of his hand, pushing the doors open. "Shikigami Art… Midnight Pinwheel!" All of the minions in the shadows were forced out of hiding, Kirito slicing apart the ones who were closest before backing off and letting Black Fox get some of them herself. And once the last minion was defeated, then the boss emerged, carrying a huge battle axe and looked… well, as menacing as a centaur can. "Ready, Kirito?"

"Of course." He said, readying his sword for the first attack. "You want to take it out? Or should I?" he asked, looking at his partner. She smiled back at him a little embarrassed.

"You can take this one if you like, Kirito." She said, hearing the Centaur Boss start charging at them. "So, I think I'll just get in a few hits~" she stated, looking up at the Boss before going in for a few hits, using her martial arts skills to get in close and deal a few blows to the boss before backing off to let Kirito in on the action. But as they got his HP bars down to the red, something happened. A white weasel knocked Kirito off his feet and caused him to drop his sword as the centaur gained a white fox-mask like tattoo over his face, just like what happened in the first level dungeon. "K-kirito!" the Boss brought his axe down and Kirito managed to roll out of the way, ending up getting caught in the shock wave, tumbling into Black Fox and knocking her over too.

"S-sorry." He said, seeing his HP bar falter a little before dropping down to a slightly lower level, but the in-battle regeneration kicking in, though slower than normal. "Wh-what's going on?"

"The centaur… and that weasel… White Fox is most certainly interfering." Black Fox said, sighing, glaring at the weasel as it hid behind the centaur. "Kirito… let me deal with this… White Fox is about to find out just how scary I can get when she hurts my friends…" she said, grinning in a slightly dangerous way as she removed her Fox Mask. Kirito watched, feeling something slightly eerie about her. He watched as the Boss took a half step back as she approached, her energy levels spiking to the blue level on the charts. She took a breath, seeing the centaur boss get back into its battle mode, charging straight for her. But as he swung his axe and it was about to make contact with her, it shattered, a black spiral shot up from the floor. "Shikigami Art… Noir Spiral Fang…" more of the spirals shot up from the floor, slicing through the Boss and catching the weasel's leg as it escaped. He looked back at Black Fox, who fell back, having over done it a little, her health meter falling to the yellow and her energy meter falling back down to the red. But the boss was defeated and they received their items, money, and experience points. He went over to her, his health back to normal.

"Hey… great job." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. But when she turned to him, one of her irises was black with gold flecks in it. "A-are you okay?" he asked, a little concerned. She leaned over and kissed him, making him blush bright red. "O-oi oi, we're still in the middle of a dungeon…"

"Sorry…" she mumbled, leaning against him, obviously exhausted. "The Noir Spiral Fang takes more out of me… than the other Shikigami Arts…" her breathing got shallow and her cheeks colored pink. "I-it messes with my health a lot… We should head up to the next town." She mumbled, trying to stand up, only to be stopped by Kirito.

"J-just take it easy for a minute… let your health bar come back up…" he said, sounding concerned as he held her close to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. She just smiled and stayed there until he let go to retrieve his sword. Her health bar got back to the green so they were ready to move on. "Ready?" he asked, offering his hand to her. She took it and stood up, leaning on him a little, her energy bar still for some reason in the red.

"Yep~" she said, ruffling his hair playfully, making him make a cute face at her before they went towards the door to level Fifty.

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village Fountain Square_

Kirito and Black Fox arrived to see the square going crazy over a few people. Namely, three front liners. A Sage with soft green-blue hair and a beautiful face… a brunette with orangey-yellow eyes carrying a huge metal hammer… and Mabashi, having upgraded his armor a little since they last saw him on level Thirty Three. He noticed them and parted the crowd, walking over with his comrades. "Nice to see you, Black Fox, Kirito." He said, smiling at Black Fox after he spoke, making Kirito feel a slight twinge of jealousy. The hammer-carrying man slapped Mabashi's shoulder in a gesture to make him quit flirting, making Black Fox chuckle.

"So you're Black Fox and Kirito? Nice to meet'cha. I'm-"

"Versais the Hammer Master, right?" Black Fox asked, Versais making a stunned face before he grinned wide. "I've heard of you from Mabashi…" she bowed a little. "And I also heard you managed to deal the finishing blow to the Chameleon-King from level 44. Not an easy feat." She said, looking at the green-blue haired sage, who stepped forward to introduce herself to Kirito.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Trinidad, a Battle Sage. So you're the Knight I've been hearing about?" she asked, smiling cheerfully at Kirito, who introduced himself to her. Black Fox seemed put off by her, but said nothing.

"Anyway…" she looked at Mabashi. "Did the Centaur Boss from the last level have her mark?" she asked, earning a nod from Mabashi. "Did it have a weasel helping it?"

"Weasel? No, we didn't see anything like that." Versais shook his head. "But man, it almost got me… if Trinidad hadn't saved me I'd probably be dead…"

"All I did was give you a speed boost, Versais." Trinidad said with a smile that made Black Fox twitch… it was sickeningly sweet… and what's more…

"Um… You can let me go now, Miss Trinidad." Kirito said, having been hugged by the older woman around the shoulders and being unable to move. Black Fox's energy spiked for a moment, but she just took a breath to calm down.

"Aww, but you're so famous around here~" she said.

"That's quite enough, Trinidad." Black Fox said, removing the woman from Kirito in an instant, obviously displeased by her clinginess to Kirito. Versais and Trinidad looked a little shocked that Black Fox seemed so put off… from what Mabashi had told them she wasn't one to get mad over simple things like this. They glanced at each other before looking at Mabashi, who shrugged his shoulders. Kirito looked up at Black Fox, making her look down at him, smiling weakly… but he could tell she was still upset.

"Should we go get lodging?" he asked, making her nod her head. He turned to the others. "We'll meet you somewhere after we get a place to sleep for the night."

"You two should buy a house already." All of them turned to see a familiar head of orangey hair. "Unless you two are planning on buying a house elsewhere…?"

"Asuna…" Black Fox stared. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to join the front lines." She said, smiling. "What about you two-?" she glanced at Black Fox's necklace and grinned. "Awwww, how cute~! You two are engaged~! You came to get married~!" she exclaimed loud enough to get a bunch of the people around to look at them, making Black Fox's and Kirito's faces go bright red.

"A-asuna, please, not so loud…" Black Fox pleaded, suddenly embarrassed. Mabashi and Trinidad seemed a little put off, but both smiled. Their attempts were futile if they were already engaged. Versais congratulated the pair ecstatically with Asuna, a few other people in the square watching with either amusement or cheer, glad to see something that lifted people's spirits.

"Anyway." Asuna grinned. "Let's go and get some food~ Unless you two wanna have some ALONE time~" she teased, ushering them towards a restaurant with Versais helping her, Trinidad and Mabashi trailing behind the others.

* * *

Kirito and Black Fox had somehow ended up buying a house from one of the front liners who was going to move in with their guild mates. The house was surprisingly nice and came fully furnished, but somehow they were both wary of it. Asuna had obviously been trying to get them to kiss all night, but to no avail. They weren't going to display affection in public to that extent. They looked at the house from top to bottom, both avoiding the bedroom for obvious reasons. "This is a pretty nice place…"

"Yeah it's nice…" Kirito replied, waiting for her to come over to him, since they had to look at the bedroom one way or another. "Shall we?"

"Yeah…" she said, smiling as she put her hand on the door handle. She opened the door and both peeked in, pausing to survey everything before laughing. There were roses all over the place, petals thrown pretty much all over the floor, looking more like a carpet than a romantic gesture. There were two wine glasses and a bottle of champagne on a side table, and the bed was over dressed in hearts and flowers. The two managed to stop laughing, Black Fox cleaning up the petals as Kirito pulled the sheets off the bed and started rummaging for more normal bedding. "That was certainly the most amusing thing I've seen in a long time…"

"I think they've got the wrong idea about us…" he sighed, finding the plain bedding and removing his weapons and coat so he could attempt to redress the bed. Once Black Fox finished cleaning the ridiculous amounts of petals, she went back to the bedroom to see Kirito trying to redress the bed, the mattress corners not holding the sheets down, leaving the 15 year old frustrated with the task at hand. She giggled at him, having removed her mask and changed into her simple clothes. She went over to him, tapping his shoulder.

"Want some help?" she asked, smiling at the slight pout on his lips. "Here, you hold these corners down. I'll get the ones over there." She said, having him hold the corners of the sheets nearer to the wall while she pulled the sheets across the bed to the bottom corners. "Okay. So first, tuck those corners under the mattress." She said to him, waiting for him to tuck both corners in well before she did the same on her end. The pair smiled and began redressing the pillows before they went and pulled the comforter over the bed. "Much better~" she said cheerfully, sitting down on the arm-chair in the corner. She glanced at Kirito, who was staring at her a little from where he sat. She motioned for the boy to come and join her, waving him over with her hand, a grin on her face.

"What's up?" he asked, getting over to her and standing next to her, only to be pulled down onto her lap. He fumbled for words and tried to speak before he was kissed, Black Fox not leaving him room to move away. She broke the kiss, still smiling.

"Sorry… was that too much…?" she asked. Kirito shook his head, no longer making a move to try and get off of her lap.

"Y-you surprised me, is all…" he said softly. "Wh-why the kiss?"

"Because… I'm still a little irked by Trinidad flirting with you…" she said, sighing as she averted her gaze. "I don't want other girls to touch you… just as much as you don't want me to rely on other knights…" she mumbled, pulling him closer to her, causing him to have to brace himself on the seat-back, leaning over Black Fox as they sat there. He paused, having not realized that she was going to be so forward about her own jealousy, a smirk coming onto his face.

"Well… maybe I can make it up to you…" he said, kissing her forehead. "Is that okay?" he asked her, leaning closer so that the two of them were almost kissing again. "Unless you wanna go get married right now, I can just stay here until you want to go to sleep…"

"… A night wedding doesn't sound bad…" she said, smiling softly at him. "But neither of us have the items for a-" the two paused, turning to the door. Kirito was going to get up, Black Fox stopped him, putting a finger to her lips, glancing back at the door. "Shikigami Art Summoning…" they heard scrambling. "Midnight Wolf." They heard screams and growling. "Boys, retrieve only." She said, hugging Kirito closer, making him blush. The door was pushed open, and a small group of people wearing white and red were dragged in, their weapons broken and their armor tattered. She glanced at the intruders, seeing them looking scared. She just kept holding Kirito. "What annoying rats have made their presences known?" she asked, glaring at them from the side. "You're interrupting us…"

"Pl-please don't kill us!" one pleaded.

"W-we were just sent to see if a woman named Black Fox was staying here!"

"… White Fox sent you." She sighed. "Annoying…" Kirito wondered why she wouldn't let him get up, but he didn't complain. The wolves bowed to Black Fox and Kirito, seeming to be made of shadows, but still retaining a shape. "I don't stoop to the level that she has… you're both human. You have lives to live…" she mumbled. "However… I will have you deliver a message to your… leader." She stated, staring at the man who hadn't spoken, seeing a glint in the light. "White Fox… I will warn you now. Any harm that you bring to Kirito will be dealt back to you a thousand fold…" she leaned up and gave Kirito a kiss on the jaw, still watching the three still cowering in fear. She glared at the three. "Get out." She stated, sending them running as the wolves barked and chased them out, only for them to get caught and taken to prison.

"… Are you okay?" he asked, feeling her grip on him weaken to the point where she could barely hold on. She shook her head, trying to breathe normally.

"I think I might be a little bothered by the fact that White Fox knew where I was… she's probably known all along…" she mumbled. "Honestly, I didn't think I could threaten her like that… I just want to keep you safe…" she clung to him a little, her hands shaking.

"… well then, for now you can get some sleep…" he said, getting up, despite her reluctance to let go and helping her over to the bed. "We can talk about our plans from here in the morning, okay?" She looked up at him and nodded before passing out. He watched her for a moment before realizing that she'd been using her chi-user abilities. "No wonder she's so weak…" he sighed, laying down next to her. He paused, staring at her a little. "… I hope I get to meet you in the real world someday…" he mumbled, dozing off next to her.

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village Fountain Gate_

It was three days after the incident with White Fox's followers, and the front liners gathered at the Fountain Gate a ways out of town. Their strongest of each class following Black Fox closely. However… there were two from the Knight Class. Because Asuna wasn't changing to a Knight Class and remained a Swordsman, that was all fine and good. But Kirito and Mabashi were both there, which concerned a few of the others. Of course, no one spoke… Black Fox and Kirito were married now, as made obvious by the ring on her finger, but that didn't necessarily mean he had to be the one to open the gate with her and the others. Asuna walked along side Black Fox, whispering to her.

"Are those two okay? They look like they're ready to fight or something…"

"It's a pride thing I guess…" she mumbled. "Mabashi won't step down from a fight, despite the fact that Kirito's already… well…" she blushed a little, making sure her mask was covering her face properly, though she knew her cheeks were still bright red. "I don't know if they'll stop at all…" she sighed as they approached the entrance to the actual gate itself.

"Oh, I see…" Asuna nodded, glancing back at the two. Kirito was quite a bit shorter than Mabashi, but Asuna just guessed that Black Fox and Kirito were close because of their travels. From what she'd heard, the pair had been together for over a year now… "So you two are planning to go out IRL too?" she asked, making Black Fox blush and stagger.

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" she asked, making the others following glance up, quirking an eyebrow or chuckling at them. "D-don't suggest such things so openly!"

"Aww, you are~!" Asuna grinned. "You two make such a cute couple~" she pat Black Fox's back. "I hope it goes well~"

"What's wrong?" Black Fox jumped, hearing Kirito's voice right behind her. "You okay?" he asked, looking up at her as they walked. She nodded, trying to remain calm. He took her hand, making Mabashi glare at him before reaching up and kissing her cheek, making Black Fox's face get even redder. "You never get this embarrassed when we're alone…" he smirked, making her panic a little.

"Hey now, play nice." Versais stated, walking over to them. "No freaking her out. She's gotta be calm when she opens the gate." Kirito made a face, still holding Black Fox's hand. "You two had your lovey dovey moments already." He put a hand on Kirito's shoulder, then on Black Fox's shoulder. "So enough flirting already, alright?"

"Y-yes um…" Black Fox blushed as they stopped at the gate entrance. "Trinidad… Versais… Asuna… Mugen… Cecile… please take your places on the stone markers…" she stated. She made sure everyone was in their places. She glanced back at Mabashi and Kirito, sighing a little. "You two will flip a coin." She stated, taking it out of her pocket and turning to face them. "Take your pick."

"Heads." Mabashi stated, Kirito standing there making a face. Black Fox flipped the coin, catching the coin and placing it in her left hand, opening her hand to reveal the coin face down, the tails side showing.

"Alright then… Kirito, please take your place on the marker." She said, putting her coin away before waiting for Kirito to take his place. She looked around one last time before stepping into her place on the last stone marker. The circle glowed beneath each marker, the symbol of each of the player's classes hovering above each player. Black Fox removed her mask and her eyes faded from lavender to black, golden flecks forming slowly as she let her power build. "The Seven Classes of Willow Lake ask for passage through to the second plain…" the symbols all glowed brighter before stretching towards the middle of the group, forming a portal. The others checked their own meters to see their individual power meters glowing bright white. "Our power and our hearts ask for the right of passage for our comrades as well…" the portal began to solidify, Kirito glancing over to Black Fox, watching her energy meter begin to fall. "We come to seek the secrets of the First Tree…" the portal turned itself into a door, the same size of the fountain that it hovered over. "And we come to stop the reign of terror that presides over the second plain…" the doors opened upwards and glowed bright. Black Fox swayed a little, but jumped off her marker, motioning for the others outside the gate to come in. "The door's open…" she mumbled, feeling dizzy. Mabashi went to help her, but Kirito beat him to it, letting her lean on him.

"Great job…" he said, his hand on her back to keep her standing. "… is it really as bad as it sounds?" he asked, looking up at the gate as the front liners began to pass through the gate by stepping into the fountain before being transported to the next level.

"Level Fifty One isn't as bad… it's basically one of the only peaceful towns above that gate… But many are riddled with dangerous monsters and thieves and whatnot…" she mumbled. "But I only made it to level Fifty Eight in the Beta… I never got past that level, unfortunately. And I don't know what's changed…"

"Well, we'll have to see when we get up there." He said, leading her towards the fountain so they could go through. Everyone but the players who'd been on the markers went through already, including Mabashi. They went into the fountain, feeling the transportation begin before they vanished into the next level.

* * *

((Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this story and those who have reviewed ; u ; I really appreciate it.

I'll probably take a couple of days to post the next chapter... I'm deciding on scenarios and whatnot for the plot to continue.

I do plan on updating a couple more times before I go back to school. And hopefully I can keep updating once I start again, but unfortunately I don't think it will be as frequently as it is now.

Again, thank you all for reading ; u ;

-Winter Cheshire))


	8. Level Seven - Transition

**Level Seven: Transition**

* * *

_Level Fifty One: Midpoint Village Tavern_

"I'm not saying that they can't be all lovey dovey." Mabashi sighed. "I'm saying I just don't wanna see them being like that." He mumbled, averting his gaze.

"Mabashi, they're MARRIED. Let them be lovey-dovey." Trinidad slapped his back, her face coated in a liquor-induced blush. "Besiiiides, they're adorable together!" she stated cheerfully. Mabashi sighed, shaking his head at Trinidad's drunken behavior.

"Um… are they okay?" Kirito asked, hearing little bits and pieces of their conversation from where he and Black Fox sat.

"I heard Trinidad was a mean drunk, but… man… I didn't think she'd be this crazy…" she stated, seeing Trinidad getting up on the table and start doing toasts to the people in the room, even if she didn't really know them. "But… I suppose she's happy, is all…" she just sighed, laying her head down on the table.

"Is something bothering you?" Kirito asked, seeing as she seemed a little bothered by everything ever since they got into this level. He glanced at her energy meter and noticed it was still recovering. "… do you need to sleep? Or to take a serum?" he asked, trying not to be obvious about what he could see. She just shook her head, glancing over to him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm a little tired… is all." She said, smiling at him weakly, taking his hand. "It's not such a big deal… I'll be alright soon…" some of the others in the room looked like they wanted to come over and check, but Versais, who seemed to be the best at reading the atmosphere, stopped them from approaching the new couple. He just looked at her, finding himself smiling back, even if only a little bit. Was she just being strong? Or was she really okay? He couldn't tell.

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village_

Later that night, he'd taken Black Fox back to their house on level 50, knowing that she was too exhausted to stay on the front lines. She had passed out the instant she was in the bed, but somehow still holding Kirito's hand. He just sat back against the head board, remembering some of the incidents that had brought him closer to Black Fox… to Akemi.

* * *

_Level Five: Forest of Crows Dungeon Final Room_

Having defeated the Level Five Boss, Kirito and Black Fox decided to stop off in the Final Room to take a break. It was essentially a hot spring room that was clear of all monsters and whatnot. But apparently it was co-ed, something that made both of them a little wary. "I see why not many people come here." Black Fox said, glancing at other customers. "It must be weird… to be in a co-ed bath at our ages… It's no problem for kids but…"

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Kirito stated, nodding his head. But all the same, they got into the spring. Kirito was sticking close to Black Fox because there were some slightly weird people across the way. Before either one could talk, Kirito noticed a bunch of women coming over to them.

"Awww how cute. Are you two here together?"

"Cause if not, we were hoping your friend could spend some time with us."

"We promise to be nice. And we'll return him by the morning."

"Don't press your luck." Black Fox said, glaring at them from behind her mask. "He's staying with me. So go find someone else to play your stupid games." She stated, ready to defend Kirito if necessary. He glanced at her, seeing that she was rather annoyed with these women.

"What, seriously? We even asked nicely."

"Yeah, what's your deal?"

"I don't like girls who try and steal the partners of other players." She stated. "Or boys for that matter." She added, loud enough to make the others in the spring look over. "He isn't leaving." Kirito nodded his head a little in agreement with her words. "So stay away. Got it?"

"…" the girls looked bothered but they backed off. Black Fox, however, still seemed irritated. She got up and left the spring, mumbling to herself. Kirito got up and followed, having never seen her so upset over him being talked to, albeit this was the first time anyone had been so rude…

"Hey, wait up." He said, having caught up with her after leaving the changing room, wearing the hot-spring kimono and heading to their room. She stopped, taking a breath before she turned to him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine… I don't like those girls, though…" she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry about that… I'm not usually that temperamental."

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for defending me." He said, patting her shoulder, walking with her. "What was it that put you off?"

"Oh… I think it was just their attitude… they were flirting with you… that bothers me." She looped her arm around his shoulder. "I should be the only one who should be flirting with you…" she said with a teasing tone, showing that she was better already. Kirito's cheeks went bright red, feeling her let go before wandering into the room. "Well, it's bed time for me…" she laid down on the futon, looking over at him. She turned to be on her stomach, looking a little provocative as she lay there, grinning. "Would you like to come and sleep with me, Kirito?" she asked, chuckling. He shook his head, blushing more and laying down on his own futon.

"Q-quit joking about that stuff…" he said, turning away from her.

"Aww… okay." She said, laying down on her back before she looked over at him. "I'll behave… So long as you don't let other girls approach you like that, okay?"

"I-I can't help it… They just approach on their own…"

"Well then…" all of a sudden, Kirito felt a hand on his hip, Black Fox right behind him. "I'll just have to keep them away from you, won't I?" He tried to form a sentence, but his body wouldn't move. He just stayed there, his face still bright red.

"Wh-why are you suddenly-?"

"… No reason." She said, removing herself from him and turning to face away. "Goodnight, Kirito…" she said. He looked over his shoulder to look at her, seeing that she was asleep already. He sighed, putting a hand to his heart.

'Why… was I so embarrassed?' he thought to himself as he tried to calm down enough to fall asleep.

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village_

Kirito sighed to himself, remembering how forward she'd been on that level… he assumed she'd just been protective, but now he realized it had been jealousy. She really hated how flirty some girls got with him when life and death were on the line… He felt her roll closer, nuzzling against his side as she slept. He pet her head gently, smiling as he saw her curl up a little more against him. She was much more innocent when she slept… almost child-like, really. He began remembering when she had first really and truly blushed around him, suppressing a chuckle.

* * *

_Level Twenty One: Cavern of Ice Dungeon_

Kirito was walking with Black Fox as they were clearing the dungeon. So far they'd been doing well… but something was bothering them. "Where is that door, anyway?" Black Fox finally broke the silence. Kirito looked up at her.

"I wish I knew…" he said, looking around. "We can't find it right now… we should go back." He said, but when he turned around, Black Fox was gone. "H-hey! Where did you go?" he exclaimed. "Black Fox?" he wandered around, looking for her, but found nothing. But then, as he walked by a door, he heard something. He paused, drawing his sword and opening the door… and there he saw Black Fox, lying on her back, looking like she'd taken a fall. "A-are you okay?" he asked, jumping down to where she was. "What happened?" he asked. She looked up at him, looking a little disoriented before she sat up.

"My head hurts…" she mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. "Where am I?"

"We're still in the dungeon…" he said, wondering how she'd gotten down here in the first place. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… I'm sure…" she said, turning to him, a red mark on her forehead indicating that she'd also hit herself there. He sighed, and not really understanding why, he reached up and kissed the red mark, pulling away to see her blushing bright red. As red as he'd ever seen her. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-?" she didn't seem able to speak

"S-sorry." He said. "It looked like it hurt… I thought that would help… my bad." He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassing. But she just sat there, blushing. "A-anyway, we'll head back… and try again tomorrow." He added, offering to help her up. She managed to pull herself together, but she was silent the whole way out of the dungeon. He'd never seen her blush so much, but he didn't mind and let her remain silent. She was actually kind of cute when she blushed that much… he found himself thinking about it too much on the way back and tried to shake the thought. But he couldn't seem to get the image out of his head for the rest of the day.

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village_

'You were so cute when you made that face.' He thought, still petting her head. 'I wonder what it would take to get you to panic like that now?' he just stared at her as she slept, leaning over a little and kissing her cheek, blushing a little himself. "Akemi… wake up…" he whispered, kissing her a little more. But she just hid her face, burying herself against his side. He just smiled a little. "Guess you're too heavy a sleeper…" he said, petting her hair again. "Oh well… maybe in the morning…"

"Kazutoooo… why are you talking?" she asked in a drowsy voice, clinging to his side. "It's late… go to sleep…" she mumbled. He blushed, blinking a few times as he took in the fact that she'd just used his real name. He sighed, leaning over to her and kissing her cheek, making her groan a little.

"But you're tempting me…" he said teasingly, laying down next to her. "I'm remembering all the cute things you did on the past levels…"

"Don't call me cute." She mumbled, pouting at him. "Or I'll make you all melty and blushy." He chuckled at her, knowing that she was just tired so her vocabulary wasn't all that great. But he knew if she REALLY wanted to, she probably could fulfill her threats. But he just wanted to see her embarrassed, so he got closer to her, ending up less than an inch from her face.

"And if I refuse…?" he asked, smiling at her, noticing her blushing at the sudden change in proximity. "Aww, you're making that face… how cute…" he began to do a little more every time he got a good reaction out her, and eventually he got her face bright red. "Are you this easy to embarrass in real life, too?" he asked her, letting her have a break. She just pouted more, hiding under the blankets, which he pulled away from her face. "I just want to know…"

"I-it's not the place… it's the sudden onslaught…" she mumbled. "Wh-why are you suddenly being all romantic?" she asked, tugging on his shirt. "It's not fair… when I'm this tired…" Kirito just smiled, taking her hand.

"I just want you to make a cute face…" he said softly. "And… maybe give me a kiss…?" he leaned in so they were almost contacting each other's lips. Black Fox just blushed more, but she leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his waist. They broke apart, Kirito blushing. "I-I wasn't expecting you to like it that much…"

"Sh-shush… you asked…" she said, hiding her face against his torso now, obviously trying not to hyperventilate. "N-now go back to sleep… please…"

"Alright… I will." He said, realizing that she wasn't letting go of his waist. "Are you enjoying being this close to me?" he asked, smiling at him. She nodded against his torso, not wanting to speak. "Mmkay… then I want you to promise me something… for when we get back to the real world."

"What's that…?" she asked him. He leaned over and kissed her once more.

"When we get out of here… don't be mad if I want to kiss you." He grinned, making her sigh in exasperated defeat. "So you have to let me."

"Fine fine… I'll let you. So please, just go to sleep… all this is bad for my heart." She mumbled, leaning up a little and kissing his neck. "And don't blame me if I start going further than just kissing…" she said, smirking when he blushed even redder than she had. "Goodnight."

"G-goodnight…" he mumbled, a little bothered that she'd gotten in the last kiss, but letting it go, not wanting to start an all-night war.

* * *

_Level Fifty Two: Vineyard Fields_

Kirito wandered through the Fields, doing some hunting as he waited for Black Fox to return. She had gone on a Chi-User only quest to obtain another skill that she thought she needed, so he decided to make some money and do some leveling up. But as he finished another fight, he heard someone behind him. He whipped around, hoping to see Black Fox, only to find that it was her old partner. He drew his sword, glaring at her. "What do you want, White Fox?" he asked, glaring at her. But he knew she wasn't really there… he saw her image flickering. It was an illusion…? Or something like that, anyway.

"Relax, kid… I'm not here to cause you any harm… I'm sure if I did, Black Fox would be on a warpath and kill me immediately…" she sighed, her voice more sultry than Black Fox's. "Or… should I say… Akemi?" Kirito's eyes went wide. She did know who Black Fox was in real life. "The poor girl… she knows who I am, too… and yet she refuses to tell anyone…" she shrugged. "I suppose… that's the down side of knowing my enemy so well…" White Fox walked closer to Kirito until she was right there. "She really must love you, though…" she grinned wickedly. "To have fallen so hard for a boy 4 years her junior… Even I didn't see that coming."

"Just leave her alone…" he mumbled, glaring at her. "What does our age matter, anyway?" he asked.

"It doesn't…" she chuckled. "In all honesty, her real appearance is cute… Wanna see?" she asked, grinning. But Kirito shook his head. "Aww… no fun." She shrugged. "I'll leave it with you anyway… I've got no use for it." She said, the transfer occurring and Kirito receiving something in his inventory. White Fox vanished and Kirito, though wary, decided to check the item. He pulled it up and when he saw it, his face went bright red, making him stumble and land on his back. The picture was of what looked like a girl with short plum-black hair and lavender eyes, wearing glasses and a towel in what looked like a shower stall. He hoped he wouldn't get a nose bleed, trying to calm down.

"Kirito…?" he jumped, turning around to see Black Fox. "What happened, are you okay?" she asked, worried about him. He nodded, quickly hiding the picture and getting to his feet. She nodded, worrying about him, but not pressing the issue. "Well, I got the skill I needed… shall we go to the next dungeon?" she asked him. He nodded as they went towards the entrance to the next dungeon. But on the way there, they ran into someone familiar. "Suzuka…?"

"Black Fox! Kirito!" the woman ran over to them, smiling. "What are you two doing here?"

"I should be asking you that." Black Fox stated. "When did you get to the front lines?"

"Haha, well, I really wanted to get to this level because of the gunman quest on this level for a rare item." She said, rubbing the back of her neck. Black Fox nodded.

"I see… I remember hearing about that." She said with a smile. "I hope you complete it with flying colors."

"I plan on it." She said. "… For Hibiya."

"… that's good to hear…" Black Fox said, taking Kirito's hand, feeling a little upset. Hibiya had talked about it so much in the beta, but he'd never completed the quest. Kirito, noticing her state of being, decided to change the subject from the former beta-tester and towards something else.

"Why don't we go get some food? We can always go to the dungeon tomorrow." He stated, making Black Fox snap out of her depressed head space and nod to him.

"R-right…"

"Well, you two love birds go on." Suzuka said with a girn. "I have a date with an info broker." She whispered before she headed off, leaving the two younger players standing there.

"… Hey… can I ask you something?" Black Fox turned to him.

"What's up?" he asked her, glancing to her to see her holding the photo from earlier, making him panic a little internally.

"Did White Fox give you this?" she asked in a monotone voice. He nodded as she handed it back to him, blushing still as he put it back in his inventory. "Did she know my real name?"

"Sh-she did." He stated. Black Fox sighed, looking over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I just hope… she isn't hoping for me to kill her, is all…" she said. "Come on, let's just go get something to eat." She lead him towards the restaurants, both feeling an air of tension now. Even she hadn't technically been there… she'd still caught Kirito off guard… would she have been able to beat him if she had decided to go in for a real fight? Could he have died? Neither wanted to contemplate the possibilities. The pair spent the rest of the day in a strangely silent way, not speaking much, even when they headed to bed for the night.

* * *

((My brain overloaded a little on this one... I hope it helped those looking for a couple more incidents that helped in the process of making those two all lovey dovey ; u ;''' If it's not good, I apologize...

Anyways, I just want to thank everyone who's reading and whatnot... ; u ;

I hope when I manage to get to the point of getting them back IRL that everyone likes what I do with the story from there.))


	9. Level Eight: Retreat

**Level Eight: Retreat**

* * *

_Level Fifty Four: Bayou Dungeon_

Kirito and Black Fox had worked their way through the Bayou Dungeon, the front lines having gone ahead the day before. They were working their way to see if they could catch up, playing a hunting game to make it more interesting. Whichever one won would be able to ask one favor of the other without any complaints. Kirito knew what he wanted from Akemi… he wanted her to promise that they would go out in the real world. But he glanced over at her, wondering what she wanted. He knew she liked to mess with him in the game, but he didn't know exactly what she wanted in the real world… or moreover if she wanted to use her favor while they were still in the game or there… He just sighed and trudged on with her. But the thought kept bothering him… even after they made it to the Fifty fifth floor, it bothered him. Despite having won the hunting game…

* * *

_Level Twenty Five: Fern Town_

About a month after Level Fifty Five had been reached, Kirito and Akemi had decided they needed a break from the front lines. They decided that because it was Christmas time, they would spend their late "honeymoon" in this level. A cute little town that was the most festive in this time of year, and a good place to relax for a couple of days from the hectic front lines and all the emotions getting slung around, mainly bits of jealousy and other such negative emotions… and a tense atmosphere that hadn't faded since Kirito's run in with White Fox on level 52. But right now they were working on their relationship. They were walking through town and holding hands, a lot of the vendors complimenting them on being a cute couple and whatnot. It was nice not to have to worry about age here… but it would probably be different in the real world.

"Shall we head back?" Kirito asked, noticing that it was getting late. Black Fox nodded, smiling as they headed towards their lodging for the night. When they got back, they saw gifts on the table from the lodging staff, who had insisted that the couple take this suite, which was a very cozy space that was perfect for a budding love… or so they said. Kirito went through the gifts to make sure nothing was a trap, Black Fox standing behind him to keep an eye on him. Every so often she'd run her fingers across the back of his shoulder or around to his arm, as though she was trying to keep in contact with him at all costs. "Are you alright…? Should we go and lay down?" he asked her, glancing up at her. She managed a small smile, nodding at him.

"You're getting good at reading my emotions…" she said as she helped him to the bed so they could lay down together. After a few more silent minutes, Akemi managed to get Kirito into her arms and was holding him in a way that made him feel like this death game was just a bad dream. But he knew that wasn't true. She kissed his forehead, holding him in a way that made it hard for him to look up at her face. "I'm sorry… for these past few weeks… I've been really distracted."

"Don't apologize… it's not your fault." He said, letting her hold him there. He put a hand on her hip and leaned his head against her collar bone. "… so… don't worry. I don't want you to be all upset… we're supposed to be on our honeymoon." He mumbled, kissing her collar bone a little, hoping she'd feel better if he did something that made her embarrassed. She sighed gently as she felt him doing little things that made her cheeks red, smiling a little and letting her bear-hug grip go.

"Right… sorry." She said, petting his head. "I appreciate you trying so hard for my sake…" she put one hand on his lower back, the other on the back of his neck. "Let me repay you tonight… ne?" she smiled in a way that made Kirito's heart beat faster than he thought he could handle, but he didn't panic. He leaned into her a little and felt hike his heart would burst when he heard her whispering into his ear. Strings of "I love you" and other sweet nothings that he was glad to hear, he felt her hands moving along his back in an almost loving, comforting manner… however she never strayed below the waist of his pants.

"A-akemi…" he mumbled, not understanding why he was so weak in her arms. Why just this was making him feel like he'd melt away, his face so red that he looked like he'd been in a steamer. "I-it feels… strange…"

"Strange…?" she asked, stopping what she was doing. She felt him trembling a little, a look of great concern on her face. "Kirito?" she sat up and reached to turn the light on, only to have him grab her wrist to stop her.

"A-akemi…" he mumbled, laying on his back, short of breath and holding weakly onto her wrist. She put her hand to his forehead, withdrawing a few moments later.

"You're running a fever…" she mumbled, sighing. "We were out in the snow for too long… I'll go run you a bath."

"Don't go…" he mumbled, clinging to her. But she just picked him up and carried him into the bathroom, placing him down on the floor next to the tub as she began running his bath. He just looked at her and watched as she rushed around him, doing things. Once the tub was full, she went back over to him, cheeks pink.

"Can you get into the bath yourself, Kirito?" she asked. He paused, then tried to get out of his clothes, ending up getting tangled in his own shirt. She sighed, shaking her head and helping him out of his shirt, worrying over him more than she thought she should. It was so much like when she helped her brother… but she was so embarrassed just to see him shirtless. He looked over at her and chuckled.

"I'll be fine…" he said, kissing her cheek. "If you're that worried, you can just turn around till I get in and sit against the wall till I'm ready to get out." He stated, enjoying her embarrassment despite being exhausted from this fever. She turned around and blushed more, Kirito taking that as his cue to get into the tub. Once he was, he leaned against the side of the tub, tapping her shoulder. "Are you really okay?" he questioned.

"F-fine." She stated, turning back around slowly. "I'm fine…" she looked at him, blushing more as she noticed his smile. "D-don't make that face at me… Y-you need to let your body rest… and you also need to keep warm… I'll go get more blankets from the closet, so-"

"So?" he asked, grabbing his in-game wife's arm, tugging her closer. "Would you be mad… if I said you should be the only one to keep me warm?" he asked, making Black Fox's face go bright red. "I mean it…"

"Stop that, you're not thinking straight as things are…" she sighed, cheeks even redder than before. "You need REST. No more romantic things until your body is healed. The front lines won't mind us being away for another day or so…" she mumbled, staring at him. He pouted at her, pulling her even closer. "Kirito-"

"Don't call me that… call me by my real name…" he whispered, kissing her gently. "Please?" he pleaded. Black Fox mumbled again, this time a curse about being unable to handle his cute face. "Akemi…"

"Kazuto… you need to rest… please…" she stated. "It bothers me to see you looking like this…" she rubbed the back of his head. "I want you to get better… I really do… so please let me care for you…" she mumbled, leaning her forehead against his. "Please…" she whispered, Kirito feeling something warm land on his hand. He looked up and saw tears streaming down her face, sobbing silently.

"Akemi…? Wh-what's wrong…?"

"Kazuto… please…" she mumbled through her tears. He didn't understand why she was crying, but it if upset her this much, he wasn't going to mess around…

After things calmed down, they were laying down again on the bed. "… So… what was it that set you off?" he asked her softly. She sighed, looking at him, her eyes still a little red.

"My brother… almost died once… because he wouldn't let me take care of his fever… he said he was fine… he was trying to be strong, since our mother had just died… our father was drowning himself in his work…" she mumbled. "Sorry about breaking down like that…" she ran her thumb over his cheek. "I… was scared I might lose you…"

"… sorry… I didn't mean to mess around…" he said, worried that he'd upset her. "I wanted to see how far I could go… guess I pushed too far." He scooted a little closer, nuzzling her neck. "I'm sorry… Akemi…"

"… no, I'm sorry." She said. She kissed his cheek, comforting him in a less romantic way than before. "I… um…"

"I wanna use that favor now." He said suddenly, shocking her a little. "I want you to-"

"If you're gonna say something that has to do with me forgetting about this and getting back into the mood of a honeymoon, don't." she stated. "I don't need you wasting the favor on this…" she said to him, smiling at him. "I promise, I'm fine… so… let's get some sleep…" she said softly. He looked up at her before burying his face against her shoulder, feeling her tucking him in with the comforter as the snow began to fall.

* * *

_Level Sixty Eight: Scrawl Tower_

Kirito and Black Fox were sitting atop Scrawl Tower, staring out at the sky. The Front Lines had finally cleared level 71, and it had been 1 year and four months since Ryuuko had become a death game. "Our levels are getting up there, huh?" Black Fox asked, looking at him, her mask in her inventory instead of on her face. "… I hope we can get out soon…"

"We will." He said, taking her hand. "I promise."

"… I hope so…" she sighed. "Well, shall we head out?"

"Yeah. It's about time we got back to the front lines again." He said, getting up and taking her hand. "Let's go." He said, kissing her cheek as they transported to the level that the front liners had made it to.

* * *

_Level Seventy Two: Char City_

The pair arrived on the floor, glancing around. It was eerily quiet… where were the assault teams? The front liners? They were nowhere to be seen. They wandered a little before they found someone. "Excuse us… um… do you happen to know if a group of people passed through here recently?"

"You're with the front lines… poor dears… they ran off into Charred Forest without a clue… as to the danger that resided… they came back with only half their numbers." The old woman said, pointing to the hospital. Black Fox thanked her quickly before rushing to the hospital, Kirito following. What had hurt them? What had happened when they were away?

Upon arriving in the hospital, they searched for the others, soon finding Versais and Mabashi sitting in a hospital room. "M-mabashi! Versais!" Black Fox rushed in. "Wh-what happened?"

"Black Fox… Kirito…" Mabashi mumbled, covered in wounds. "Glad to see you two are okay…" he managed half a smile. "… we lost a lot of people… White Fox ambushed us… but she'd been looking for you two… guess it was bad luck that we didn't have you around to help…"

"… Damn it." Black Fox mumbled, her fist balling up as she heard this. White Fox had done this… half of the front liners gone… just like that… "… who did we lose?"

"Trinidad… and Mugen…" he mumbled. "Asuna was hurt, but she managed to get out safe… same with Cecile…" he stated. "We lost a bunch of our swordsmen though… and most of our archers and sages…" he said. "But… there was a chi-user on their side… I didn't know them in the beta, but I think you might know them… his name was Florien."

"… that no good… damn it all." She grit her teeth. "Of all the people… why him?"

"You do know him… who is he?" Mabashi asked. "He was impossibly strong, and he didn't let White Fox lift a finger…"

"A flunkie with a serious over devotion to White Fox… I hate him…" she mumbled, backing up against the wall. "He… was such a freak…" Kirito grasped her wrist, feeling her trembling. She didn't seem to calm down, despite Kirito trying for five minutes straight.

"Just relax…" Versais stated, looking up at them. "Kirito. Get her out of here… she needs to calm down… being around all this isn't helping her…" he said. "Maybe you need to distract her with some love." He grinned, grabbing Mabashi around the neck to keep him from protesting, Kirito nodding and helping Black Fox out of the hospital and to find lodging.

* * *

That night, Kirito walked out of the bathroom to see Black Fox sitting on the bed, staring at a bunch of her items in her inventory, going through them like there was no tomorrow. "…" he wandered to sit next to her, staring at her for a minute before he kissed her cheek. "Hey… you alright?"

"Fine… sorry… I've gotta go and do some serious leveling over the next week…" she stated. "And I have another quest to go on…"

"I'm going with you."

"No, you're not-"

"Don't argue. I'm going and that's that." He stated, knocking her on her back, causing her menu to close. He was leaning over her, pinning her against the bed. "Don't get all lonesome on me… okay?" She stared back for a minute before chuckling, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"… Sorry… I guess… I'm just riled up…" she mumbled, pulling him so he landed softly on top of her. "You can come with me so long as you promise that you won't panic if I get attacked… I have to finish the dungeon with a 100% score." She said, tousling his hair. "Though, that only includes the monsters with the symbols I need…" she nuzzled him, making him blush more.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, hoping she'd calm down soon.

"I'm fine now." She replied. "Just… one thing."

"What's that?" he asked her, feeling her pulling him closer.

"I want you to kiss me… and tell me this nightmare will end soon…" she mumbled, her eyes closed as she smiled, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. He wiped away the tears, leaning in to kiss her gently.

"We will get out of here alive… I promise…" he said softly, petting her head. "So… try and get some actual rest this time…" he said, knowing that she'd been skipping on sleep a lot. This must have been stressful… especially because she'd been separated from her little brother, who she cared about above everyone else before she came to Ryuuko… she'd been telling him about how close they were… "I will get you back to your brother, Akemi…" he whispered into her ear. "I swear…"

"… Kazuto…" she hugged him closer, managing a smile. "I should be promising that I'll get you home… I'm the older one." She stated. "You… have a family to get back to…" she nuzzled against him. "My brother will be okay… at least for now… he's a strong boy…" she mumbled. But she was exhausted from worrying and over thinking… "But thank you… I've never been this happy…" she said. "I… really hope that we get along well once we're home…" she managed to say before kissing his cheek, passing out not a moment later. Kirito watched her sleep for a little while, glad that she was happy with him. But he glanced at the window, staring out into the night for a minute. Would everything be that easy? After all, this was the only way… fighting their way out of the game… he turned back to Black Fox, staring at her for a second before he closed his eyes, falling asleep next to her. He could wait to worry about that… right now, so long as she was happy… that was fine.

* * *

(Another chapter ; u ; Was this one any good?

I'm planning on one more before I go back to school, since I managed to finish this one tonight.

The next chapter will contain good things and not so good things o u o;;;

So I hope you're looking forward to it.

-Winter Cheshire)


	10. Level Nine - Preparation

**Level Nine: Preparation**

* * *

_Level Seventy Two: Char City_

Kirito opened his eyes as the sun streamed in to the room, feeling strangely warm. He looked up and realized that he was lying against Black Fox's chest, blushing a bit as she rolled closer to him, her chest coming dangerously close to his face. He nuzzled against her shoulder a little, knowing that she was sleeping. He just watched her, wondering if she was going to be better than she had been last night. But that wasn't all that bothered him. He looked over his shoulder and out towards the Charred Forest. It was completely blackened, the clouds that hung over it seeming like smoke that had been trapped under a dome or something. He felt Black Fox shifting, turning to see her waking up. "Hey… you're up…" he smiled at her, making her look up and lean in to hug him.

"Too early…" she mumbled, closing her eyes after she leaned against his shoulder. "Why are you up so early?" she asked, trying to hide from the sunlight.

"I'm up because we need to go and check on the others…" he said, holding her to shield her a little more from the sun. "Do you think you can wake up now?" She mumbled and sat up, staring at him for a minute before she rubbed her eyes.

"Right…" she sighed, getting up from the bed, changing out her sleep clothes for her corset dress, cross boots, and her mask taking its place on her face. "Gotta make sure everyone's okay…" she said, turning to him. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah…" he got up and changed out of his sleep clothes into his knight clothes. He walked over to her and took her hand before they headed out the door towards the hospital.

* * *

_Level Seventy Two: Char City Hospital_

Once at the hospital, Black Fox seemed to be fine. She went to get a death count from the others while Versais had a talk with Kirito, Mabashi still resting. "So… is she doing better?" the hammer-wielder asked as he leaned back against the wall. Kirito nodded. "Good…"

"What exactly happened, anyway?" Kirito asked. "In the Charred Forest…"

"… We were ambushed… we were going to head through to the next floor, and we cleared many of the dungeon rooms… but just before the boss door… we got ambushed by White Fox and a bunch of her flunkies…" he stated. "But she didn't even fight… she stood there… watching." He grit his teeth, holding back his anger as much as she could. "She watched all those people die…"

"How many exactly?" Kirito asked.

"Twenty two people…" Black Fox said, going over to the two. She looked solemn as she walked, taking Kirito's hand. "And many are still recovering from Florien's attack… his chi-user techniques were always frightening…" she said. "Anyway… Versais… how many other soldiers did White Fox have?"

"She had only about 50… but man… they were all super strong. I'd bet most of them were at least level 80…" he said. "Either by knowing what to do as a beta or having hacked the system." Black Fox nodded at his words. "Anyway, while we're recovering, you two should go back home. You need rest."

"We aren't retreating." Black Fox said. "… I'm going to go into the forest."

"You can't!" Mabashi exclaimed, having sat up during their conversation. "You'll be killed!"

"Mabashi, lay down!" Versais said, trying to make his friend calm down. "Your injuries are some of the worst!"

"Versais, you can't let her go in alone-!"

"She won't be alone." Kirito said. "I'll go with her." The two older boys stared at him, Versais grinning and Mabashi sighing a little.

"Man… I didn't expect you to be so devoted to her… I've really got no chance." Mabashi sighed, managing to smile. "If you're going with her, you'd better make sure to take care of her." Kirito nodded, squeezing Black Fox's hand.

"Right."

"Man, even now you two are all lovey dovey… I'm jealous." Versais grinned. "Make sure you come back alive, alright?"

"You got it." Kirito shook hands with Versais.

"Hey wait for me." Asuna walked over to them. "I wanna go too."

"Asuna, wait up!" Coming from down the hall came two figures.

"S-suzuka? Cecile?" Black Fox went over to them, seeing as both were still in bandages. "What were you two thinking? You're both in no condition to be moving around."

"Black Fox, we're going whether you say we can or not!" Cecile stated, looking like she'd be crying. "I have to take out the guy who killed Mugen!"

"… Cecile…" Versais walked over, comforting the girl he saw as a younger sister figure. "Cecile, calm down… I know you loved him but-"

"But nothing, Versais! Please, Black Fox, you have to let me come with you!" the girl exclaimed, sounding desperate and angry about everything that had happened to them.

"…" Kirito stood with Asuna, watching Black Fox calm the girl. Suzuka wasn't as badly hurt, so it was no problem bringing her… but Cecile was covered in bandages.

"Sorry, Cecile…" she mumbled. "I can't. Tell me the name… I'll take care of it." She said as Versais held Cecile to calm her while she cried. "I promise."

"… h-his name was Higaki… an archer… please, Black Fox…" Cecile grabbed her sleeve. "Please… avenge Mugen for me…" she sobbed.

"I'll do my best, Cecile…" she said, letting Versais escort her back to her room. She turned around to look at the group so far. Kirito, Asuna, Suzuka… that wasn't enough. They still needed at least a fully rounded team. That meant finding an archer, a martial artist, and a sage. Since Versais seemed to be holding down the fort in Mabashi's place while the Knight healed up, she'd have to seek out another martial artist. Suzuka walked over to her.

"Hey. You want to make a rounded team, right?"

"Right."

"You can use my old team. They're all here and in fair condition… except for Tatsuro." She said. "He's in almost as bad shape as Cecile… but everyone else is ready." She stated. Black Fox nodded. "Great. I'll go get them."

"Meet us at the pub for a briefing on the objectives." Black Fox said to Suzuka before the girl ran off to get her teammates. She looked at Kirito and Asuna. "Let's go… we need to eat." She said, taking Kirito's hand as they walked out of the hospital, Asuna trailing behind the couple. Once there, Black Fox seemed to finally realize that Asuna was there and apologized for walking off so suddenly, the orange-haired girl just smiled.

* * *

Once everyone arrived, they began their meeting. "So we've got a good line up… now we just have to figure out the plan." Black Fox said, looking around the table. "Who's alright with taking out the flunkies? The swordsmen and the martial artists… and the sages too." Suzuka, Ogawa, and Kagami raised their hands.

"Leave them to us. We're a good team as it is." Black Fox nodded at them.

"Alright… so then… the Knights…" Asuna raised her hand.

"I'm more than fast enough to take them out." She stated. Black Fox looked to Saito.

"You can help her out, Saito… your aim is better than Suzuka's, despite you being an archer, your power is also extremely high." The archer nodded. "Good… That just leaves Chi-users, archers, and gunman."

"Leave the Archers to me." They all looked up to see Agil. "I can take them on with no problem."

"Agil-san…" Black Fox paused, then nodded her head. "Right, I'll leave them to you." She paused. "The gunmen… those will be a problem." She mumbled. "We'd need some heavy hitters to take them out."

"Shall we go ask around the hospital to see if anyone can fight with us?" Asuna asked. But Black Fox shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because." She smiled a little. "They've come to us." She looked up at the door, seeing two hooded figures standing there. "What kept you two?" she asked, looking up.

"Hey don't blame us." The first figure removed their cloak and face mask, revealing a tanned boy with black hair, grinning as he walked over. "You called us up from our work on the lower floors. We were training in the dungeons." He pat her back. "Great to see you're still alive, Black Fox."

"You too, Jagger." She said, smiling. She looked up at the other figure as Jagger let go. "Orion, come in." she said as the other walked inside, removing her hood to reveal her long brown hair. "It's good to see you…"

"You too." The woman said, hugging Black Fox. "What did you need us for?"

"We're going after White Fox…" she stated. "You two willing to help us out?"

"Of course!" Jagger exclaimed. "This is what we do!"

"Yes… it is." Orion nodded. Kirito stood up to stand next to Black Fox. "Oh? Is this your husband?" Orion asked.

"Yes." She said with a smile. "Kirito… I'd like you to meet Orion and Jagger. Orion's a Battle Sage… she got to level Sixty in the Beta."

"Wh-what, seriously?" everyone looked shocked.

"Yes well… I don't look like much, but my skills will be showed off on the battle field." Orion said, greeting everyone with Jagger, getting to know their teammates.

"Jagger's a Gunman, and a strong one. He's backed with Chi-user attributes that seem to top many of the other's skills." Black Fox said. "He was a solo player in the beta, but he managed to get all the way up to level fifty back then."

"Impressive." Agil said as they continued to talk amongst themselves. Kirito watched, looking up at Black Fox.

"Something wrong?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"I'm glad they showed up… I think we should head out tomorrow… I don't want to rush, but this has to end… White Fox has to be stopped." He nodded, standing there with her as the others continued to get acquainted. They had their team… now they just had to go to Charred Forest and find White Fox's army. Tonight they would prepare… and tomorrow, they would be ready to fight, should they find the enemy.

* * *

That night, Kirito sat on the bed, waiting for Black Fox to come to bed. She finally emerged from the bathroom, wearing a large, baggy collared shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair around her face clinging to her cheeks from the water. "Hey." She mumbled, opening her eyes a little when she pulled the towel off of her head. "Sorry I kept you waiting." She tossed the towel over a chair, going to sit next to him. He scooted a little closer to her, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." He mumbled, leaning up to kiss her cheek. "So… um…"

"Um?" she turned to him, smiling in a way that made his heart feel like it would burst out of his chest. "Are you nervous about tonight, Kirito?" she whispered softly. His breath was caught in his throat as he felt her push him down onto the mattress. "I won't be mean, I promise…"

"D-don't take advantage of being older…" he mumbled, trying to calm down. "I-it's not fair…"

"Do you really expect me to play fair when you make a cute face like that?" she asked, smiling as she rolled over next to him and put her shirt and shorts back in her inventory. His face got even redder as she turned to him, hair still sticking to her face a little. "Come on, you too…" she tugged on his shirt a little. "Please?"

"D-d-don't… s-say stuff like this…" he mumbled, trying to make himself relax, but she just kept doing little things that made his face feel like it was on fire. He glanced at the lingerie she wore, thinking about how good she looked in the black lace and silk, stopping himself before he could think about it anymore. After a moment he removed the shirt, but he left his pants on.

"Aww, modest little baby…" She giggled, hugging him tight and pulling the blankets over him as she turned the lights off. "Sorry… If I'm overwhelming you…" she said lovingly. "You're just way too cute… I can't handle it sometimes."

"Th-that's fine… just… don't say weird stuff, okay?" he mumbled, leaning against her shoulder, trying not to look at her chest. "A-and when we're back in the real world, too…"

"Oh don't worry… I'll be a little more modest in the real world." She said with a smile. "So anyway, go get some sleep. Just this is good for tonight."

* * *

_Level Seventy Two: Charred Forest Entrance_

It was time for the party to head into the Charred Forest, Kirito and Black Fox staring into the dark forest and the path that Mabashi and the others took when they ran into White Fox. If they were still here, then they were in for a huge fight… Black Fox sighed, turning to all of the team members. "Alright… let's go in." she stated, taking a deep breath.

"Right." They stated, readying their weapons. They went into the dungeon, Black Fox leading the party with Kirito, being wary of the surrounding area. This was dangerous, but they had to do something. After all this was the only way out.

* * *

((Chapter Nine ; u ; Ahahaha... sorry i know it's kind of shorter than the last few... I start school in a few days and I don't feel ready at all... but here's hoping I manage to pass all my classes ; u ; I might be able to update one more time... maybe... before the first day... we'll see...))


	11. Level Ten - Dread

**Level Ten: Dread**

* * *

_Level Seventy Six: Frost Lake Village_

Kirito sat with Black Fox at their table in the pub, the front lines having moved through Charred Forest the month before without running into White Fox's army. They didn't quite understand, but for right now, Mabashi and the others were catching up to the assault team. Kirito caught Black Fox staring outside at the snow, wondering why she looked so sad. They had finished eating, so he paid out their tab and lead her outside, their breath becoming visible once out of the pub, the sky slightly gloomy, ut otherwise things seemed peaceful. "Did you want to play in the snow…?" he asked her, looking worried as she just stared at the snow for a while.

"Huh?" she turned to him, looking confused. "O-oh no…" she shook her head, blushing a little. "Sorry… just… remembering things." She said softly.

"What kinds of things?" he asked, taking her hand and leading her so they could get some supplies. She just smiled a little, walking alongside him. "Things about your childhood…?"

"Yeah… my mother used to take my brother and I out to play in the snow… it was always really calm when she took us… our grandmother used to joke about my mother being a snow-goddess because whenever she wanted to go out in the snow, no matter how bad the weather was slated to be, it was always calm when she went out…" they began getting their supplies from the vendors. "And when my brother turned 5, we went to go to our first winter festival as an entire family…" she seemed a little sad, mentioning that. "Those times were nice…" she said, paying for their supplies as they headed back to the inn. "If I remember right, she also bought us so much food we thought we would burst from being so fat." She chuckled, Kirito smiling at her. He was glad for her to be remembering things that made her happy… but what was causing that expression that made her look so lonely?

"… sounds like it was fun." He said, holding her hand as they continued to walk through the snow.

"Yeah…" she replied, lost in thought as they arrived back at their lodging. And that was the last of that conversation… even though Kirito wanted to know more, talking about things that made her have that lonesome look on her face wasn't something he was willing to do to learn more about her.

* * *

_Level Eighty Two: Foggy Moor Gate_

Kirito and Black Fox, having just gotten through the gate from the dungeon on the 81st level, were walking around the area, searching for the next town. But as they walked, things just got foggier and foggier, their vision soon getting to the point of only being able to see 3 feet in front of themselves or less. They continued searching when Black Fox heard something… no, someone heading their way. Kirito drew his blade and Black Fox prepared herself in case there was an enemy lurking. Kirito heard a blade being drawn and struck out into the fog, not catching anything, but hearing someone backing up a little. There was most definitely someone here. Black Fox took a short breath before beginning her incantation. "Shikigami Art…"

"Shikigami Art. White Curve Talon."

"Shikigami Art. Red Rain Flood." The two attacks came at them simultaneously, Black Fox just barely dodging the burning hot Red Rain that flew at her, Kirito parrying a gleaming white curved sword.

"Kirito! Move! Shikigami Art Summoning! Shadow Bear!" The huge looming shape appeared as Kirito got to Black Fox's side, protecting his master from both the sword that came at them, using his claws to push it back, as well as his thick hide blocking the Red Rain.

"Shikigami Art Summoning. Trickseter Weasel. Joker Cat." The same weasel that the pair had encountered on the 49th level rushed at them, the faint outline of a two-tailed cat visible in the fog. Black Fox cursed under her breath, preparing another summoning. But as she did, something came at her from the other side, Kirito barely making it to block a large reddish chain-like thing from attaching itself to Black Fox.

"White Fox! Florien! Show yourselves!" Black Fox exclaimed, knowing who was there… The two stepped forward, but were still slightly shrouded in the fog. White Fox just seemed to stare from under her mask, the man who approached from where the chain had come from smirking.

"Impressive swordsmanship…" Florien chuckled, looking at Kirito as the chain dissolved. "You've got a very high level technique there… I'm impressed a 15 year old can wield it so well…" He said, another chain forming in his hand. "But I don't think you can hold us off… after all, you don't have many defenses…"

"Don't underestimate them…" White Fox stated. "Black Fox is their defense…"

"Ah, yes of course. My apologies for forgetting that." He bowed to White Fox, but as Kirito moved to perform an attack, Black Fox pulled him out of the way, the red chain separating and striking at where the boy had been standing. "Oh? Again, impressive." He clapped. Black Fox just glared at them, holding her ground, carrying Kirito as though he were a bride. He didn't want her to, of course… not now anyway. But he looked at where he'd been, the ground seeming to melt away under the red chain pieces. "My my, what an odd couple-" Florien's eyes widened as he blocked a wolf bite with yet another red chain. "Touchy, aren't you Black Fox?" he said, the wolf jumping away, taking a bit of his chain and chomping it till there was steam coming from its mouth.

"Talk bad about my husband and you're likely to end up in worse shape than your chain." She said, her voice sounding icy. "Unless of course, that's what you're after… in which case I'll just have the Shadow Bear tear into you…" the bear wandered over to her, glaring at the enemy. She put Kirito down, her gaze not leaving Florien and White Fox. There was a silence, the air heavy with tension like no other… three Chi-users in such a close-quarters fight was intense…

"Your husband? You speak as though you two are so close… and yet… your relationship cannot hold water in the real world." White Fox said. "You're four years apart… no one in society can ever truly accept that age gap." She added. Kirito felt a pang of dread, knowing that comment might very well be true. But as the negative feeling began to build, Black Fox grabbed his arm; her mask pushed aside already as she leaned over and kissed him, causing him to blush. Florien was stunned, White Fox a little shocked as well… but by the time either realized that she'd just done an energy-borrow, it was a little too late.

"Shikigami Art… Shadow of the Black Sky Sickle, Duo Mode…" the black shadow sliced at them both, sending them flying across the foggy moor. White Fox sat up first, bleeding from her mouth. Florien wasn't in such a bad condition.

"D-damn… didn't think she completed that quest yet…" White Fox mumbled.

"That's because you didn't complete it." Black Fox stated. "The level Seventy Eight Hidden Door Boss with a perfect score…" Kirito glanced up at her, cheeks burning still, but remembering that dungeon well. "You never even found him."

"Don't talk down to me!" the white-haired woman exclaimed, her energy building as she sent the two she had summoned to attack. But the attacks were sent back, Black Fox and Kirito protected by the small army of wolves and the still too-large looming bear. White Fox looked horribly angry, calling out attacks, only to get pushed back every time. Florien watched on. "Florien, don't just stand there!" White Fox hissed. But as he stepped forward, his chain grew… and when White Fox turned away…

"Forgive me…" Florien stated, his chain latching onto White Fox and damaging her to a point where she just collapsed, no movement coming from her at all. "I didn't remember you being my boss… we're supposed to be partners." He stated with a wicked grin on his face. "I did give you the hacking programs after all." He mused, Black Fox's eyes widening. Kirito stood shocked. Had this man just murdered their enemy…? Had he just confessed to being the one who trapped them here in Ryuuko? "My precious little pawn…" he glanced up, grinning like a maniac at Black Fox. "My my… are you angry?" Kirito looked up to see Black Fox with tears forming, a fierce… no, a dangerous look in her eyes. Her irises almost immediately became black, the golden flecks appearing a few at a time, much faster than he'd ever seen them appear before. "If I recall, you two were close… once." He smirked. "It was right after your mother died, after all-"

"Shut up!" Black Fox exclaimed, the wolves dissolving into the air. "Shikigami Art! Noir Spiral Fang!" the spirals shot up at Florien, missing him by a hair. "Why would you kill someone like that?! Why did you kill her?!"

"Oh, you are mad!" he cackled. "Isn't it obvious? She was MY pawn… I GAVE her the means to take over this game…" he stated, appearing right in front of her with the chain dangerously close to her neck. "I've been behind it all, Akemi-" he was cut off, barely dodging a blade swing right to his face.

"Don't you DARE call her by her name!" Kirito chased Florien, slashing at him and trying to get in a hit, occasionally catching his opponent's arm or side, but in all not doing much damage. They continued their game of cat and mouse, switching roles every now and again. Black Fox stood, feeling helpless. Kirito was fighting for her… White Fox was just… well, she looked dead… Black Fox's black and gold flecked eyes faded away. She couldn't let Kirito fight alone…

"Shikigami Art… Shadow of the Black Sky Sickle, Combat Version…" The shadowy forms converged in her hands to a staff shape, the shadows on the moor showing the blade that didn't appear on the physical thing Black Fox held onto. Kirito noticed, pulling back to her side. "Sorry…" she mumbled.

"Don't be. We can do this together…" he replied, readying his sword for another attack. "Ready?" he questioned, watching her glance down at her bladeless weapon.

"As I'll ever be." She mumbled. She glanced at White Fox one last time before she and Kirito charged at Florien. Even if White Fox had been her enemy… still… this was something she would not forgive. The fight ended with Florien almost entirely drained of his energy and his health points, a restrictor item that Black Fox had picked up a few levels before restricting him from regaining his energy or health points. Kirito sent Florien to a prison on the Sixty Ninth Floor, both turning their attention to White Fox… or at least where she'd been. But now she was gone, all that was left was some of her "blood" and a piece of her outfit that had been torn off during the fight.

* * *

_Level Ninety: Nightmare City_

Three months after the incident with Florien and White Fox, and there had been no sign of her… but somehow, the game was still going. Neither Black Fox nor Kirito had spoken to anyone about the incident, not wanting to panic anyone. They kept things to themselves, at least for the time being. They'd been avoiding conversation with the other front-liners as much as possible, spending their down time together in their home on the 50th level. But most of that time ended up being very quiet, Kirito usually initiating any conversations they had… Black Fox hadn't even been very flirty recently, which told Kirito all he needed to know about how she was feeling.

Currently, though, the pair was sitting in a pub with Agil and Asuna, as well as Versais, Suzuka, and Cecile. They were all conversing about how to tackle the next boss, but Black Fox stayed to herself, only responding when prompted by Kirito. "Hey… are you feeling alright? You're hardly eating." Cecile said, looking at Black Fox with concern.

"I'm fine…" she mumbled after a light prod to the arm from Kirito. "Sorry… I've kind of lost my appetite recently…" Asuna and Suzuka looked at Kirito for answers, but he didn't give them any. Versais pat Black Fox's shoulder.

"You should take a break from the front lines."

"I won't." she stated sternly. "I can't… I've taken too much time these past few months… I won't leave the front lines again unless…" she glanced at Kirito. "… Unless you leave the front lines as well. And I know you won't." she stated, Kirito sighing at her determination… no, more like her stubbornness. She was beating herself up about White Fox, even now. Kirito took her hand and she laid her head against his shoulder, slumping over weakly.

"If you won't leave to rest, at least try and eat a little more…" he said in a whisper, looking very concerned for her. She was weak from her constant worrying… She looked at her plate and took her fork, eating a couple of small bites before putting the utensil back down. "Thank you." He kissed her cheek, making her mumble a response that sounded positive… sort of.

"Well, no matter the case…" Suzuka sighed. "If she's unwell, we should wait for her." She stated. "After all, we've been on a war path for a while… I think we can stop to relax a little." She smiled, earning a nod from Asuna and Cecile, Agil and Versais a little more reserved about the idea, but knowing that Black Fox and Kirito were two major power houses in the front-lines.

"I'll go tell Mabashi, then." Versais stood up, taking out his money for his food, leaving it with Agil, who always seemed to be the last to leave the table in this group. "Catch you all later." He left quickly after giving Black Fox's hair a tousle. She just watched him leave, and soon, Kirito and Agil were her only company.

"Shall we go?" Kirito asked her, making her look up at him with half a nod, taking the hand he offered her so she could stand. Agil waved them off after paying for the meal, Black Fox and Kirito getting ready to go back to their home on level 50. But as they were about to leave, someone stopped them and motioned for them to come into an old abandoned building. Black Fox seemed to know the person, following quickly, Kirito barely able to keep up with her.

"How are you still alive?" was the black haired girl's first question as the doors closed behind Kirito. "I saw you almost die, you know…" she mumbled. The girl removed her hood, the reddish eyes and white hair emerging from under the hood. "Where the hell did you go, White Fox?" Kirito prepped his weapon for an attack, only to be stopped by Black Fox.

"I wish I knew…" she replied, staring at her former beta-test partner and Kirito, looking weaker than even Black Fox did at the moment. "… I've done terrible things…"

"Damn right you have." Black Fox removed her mask, glaring at her former partner, tears in her eyes. "But at the same time… Florien had his hold on you… the Bloody Sky Pact that shattered when his energy hit zero." Black Fox mumbled. "So he had access to your Ryuuko data… and could mimic you… how many of those deaths were his, I'm not sure… but you ARE still responsible… at least for locking us in here."

"A-akemi, I-"

"Don't act like we're still friends!" she exclaimed. "You didn't kill Hibiya, but he thought it was you!" tears ran down her cheeks, Kirito not understanding the situation fully. "You let Florien have your data, and he murdered Hibiya!" Kirito noticed White Fox looking like she might cry. "Damn it to hell, Hiwa! Why would you let that psycho into your data, anyway?!" she said, watching White Fox fall to her knees. "Why the hell did you even help him trap us here?!"

"I… I just…" the girl began sobbing, looking scared and confused. "I don't remember…" she managed to say before she began crying even more. Black Fox did her best to calm down, Kirito taking her hand to try and help. "Akemi, I'm sorry…" she sobbed over and over, occasionally mumbling about Hibiya.

"Damn it all…" Black Fox sat down, unable to handle standing when she was this emotional. Kirito knelt next to her as she began explaining things. "Hibiya was a friend… he didn't live around us, but he was still a good friend…" she mumbled. "White Fox- no, Hiwa… she's always been in love with him… but she used to get jealous of how he would always contact me first before he came to visit Japan…" she took a breath. "Hibiya was afraid that all his contact with Hiwa would push her away… he loved her a lot, I was like a little sister who pulled them together…"

"I see…" Kirito said, wondering about many things, but refrained from asking as she continued to explain.

"Hiwa's known me since we were young… she lives in a different prefecture than I do, but she's also the only person I've ever met who was so similar to me in so many ways that… it felt like we could be sisters…" she sighed. "That picture she took was during an exchange program I went to in 2020, when I was still in high school… we were close, back then…" Kirito nodded his head, glancing at White Fox, who was still crying and mumbling to herself. "We drifted apart a little… but we always had video games… our names were always the same, we worked together so often it was like we were still so close…" she glanced up at Kirito. "She's never been the type to hurt people… despite her violent tendencies in games… And she wasn't the one killing people…" she shook her head, trying to keep herself under control. "Kirito, really she's not a bad person… that's why it was so unusual to me… despite what we were seeing…"

"It wasn't her." He said, seeing that the little indicator over White Fox was still orange. It hadn't turned red… that meant she wasn't the one who'd been killing people. "But no one will believe that…" he said to Black Fox. "So what do we do?"

"…" Black Fox looked over at Hiwa, who had calmed down enough to stop sobbing and mumbling to herself. "She has to do time for being part of Florien's plan…" she said softly. White Fox looked over at them, knowing that they were talking about her. "There's no getting around it, Hiwa…"

"I know…" she bowed her head to Black Fox. "I'm sorry… that I let all this happen… I… I kept you away from your only family for almost two years already…" she said, looking like she might cry again. "Send me to prison… I deserve to rot there…"

"Don't be stupid…" Black Fox said. "You won't rot. Once Kirito and I clear the last floor, it'll be over… so just wait till then." Kirito looked a little surprised at her behavior, but he smiled, helping Black Fox up and letting her go over to White Fox, sending her to the prison without another word. "… I promise, Hiwa… I won't take it out on you… it was Florien's fault…" she said, almost like she was trying to convince herself of that fact. Kirito took her hand once she was done and took her back to their house. She needed to rest after all this… because now that this ridiculously implausible situation had somehow come to a close, they had just one objective. To finish the game.

* * *

(( Yes, I know that's a terrible plot twist guys ; u ; I'm sorry;;; Please don't hate White Fox / Hiwa... she's a good girl... mostly...

A-anyway, I feel like I'm on a little bit of a roll so I might get through another chapter or two by tomorrow evening. So I hope I'll get some more views and reviews, and I also hope no one hates this chapter ; u ;''''

And there will be more lovey dovey Kirito X Black Fox soon... I promise you all. ; u ;/

-Winter Cheshire))


	12. Level Eleven - Demons

**Level Eleven: Demons**

* * *

_Level Fifty: Central Village - Kirito and Black Fox' s H__ome_

A week after White Fox had been sent to prison, Kirito and Black Fox were still at home. Black Fox hadn't wanted to move… eat… Kirito had been caring for her. Now, he was waiting for her to come out of the bath, but she'd been in there for over an hour already. He sighed, getting up from his chair and went to open the door. But when he did open it, he saw Black Fox standing there, her long hair protecting her back side as she dried the hair on top of her head. He felt something warm dripping down in front of his mouth, closing the door and leaning against the wall just outside of the bathroom, face bright red. His nose was bleeding, having seen just now the one thing he never expected to see. She had been standing there… and although her body had been obscured by the steam on the mirror, he'd still seen her…

Black Fox eventually opened the door, wearing a baggy black collared shirt instead of her normal night clothes. It was long enough to be a very short dress on her. "Kazuto… sorry." She said, blushing a bit as she knelt next to him. "I… are you alright?"

"F-fi-fi-fine…" he managed, blushing still, embarrassed to look up at her face. She just kissed his cheek, staring at him until he looked up at her. "Y-you're not mad…?"

"Why would I be…?" she asked, pausing and sighing. "Come on, I'm not mad just because you saw me naked…" she grinned, hugging him around the shoulders. "It doesn't bother me..." she kissed his cheek. "Besides… you're the only one I want to see me like that…" she added, making his face heat right back up again. "We go back up to the front lines tomorrow… shall we make the most of tonight?"

"Wh-what do you mean…?" he managed to ask, feeling her picking him up like she had when they were fighting White Fox and Florien. "Wh-what are you…?"

"I just want you to be happy… safe…" she mumbled. "I want you to kiss me… Kazuto…"

"A-akemi… you… w-wait…" his cheeks were even redder than before. "What's gotten into you…?" he asked, wondering why all of a sudden she was behaving like this again. But she didn't answer, placing him down on the bed and straddling his hips, staring down at him. Her eyes were lonesome… she was embarrassed… but she just stared at him.

"Kazuto… I love you…" she kissed him on the lips, not bothering to hold back like she had been before… he couldn't manage to kiss back much, but he had to break for air. He was panting, exhausted… he stared up at her, wondering why she seemed so desperate… needy…

"Akemi…" he mumbled, returning his shirt to the inventory. He leaned up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lovingly before he returned his pants to the inventory as well, turning the lights off. The moon light streamed in through the curtains, Black Fox returning her collared shirt to the inventory as well. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, eventually Black Fox made the first move. He was everything to her right now… she didn't want to overwhelm him, but he was the only thing keeping her grounded right now. If he wasn't there, she would have probably been lost somewhere right now… alone… maybe she'd have fallen to Florien as well… she slowly began to understand things about her former partner… why Hiwa might have lost herself to the man who took everything from her… She felt alone… Florien was someone to cling to…

Kirito and Black Fox spent the rest of the night keeping themselves warm in each other's arms. They knew they couldn't be separated now, or ever.

* * *

_Level Ninety Five: Demon's Trail Dungeon_

The next morning, Kirito and Black Fox were walking along with the front-liners through the Demon's Trail dungeon, searching for any signs of trouble. They all seemed on edge, despite knowing that White Fox and Florien were now both out of commission. They eventually reached a 4-way split in the road. "Oh man… there's no way to figure out which path is the right one…" Kagami stated, his seeker skill as a sage not telling him anything. Cecile looked at all 4 paths, thinking to herself for a minute before she turned to the group.

"We've got to split up then. Groups of three or four, with soldiers following?"

"Sounds good to me." Asuna walked forward. I'll take this tunnel." She stood in front of the path on the far left. Agil and Suzuka joined her after a minute. Kagami, Tatsuro, Saito, and Jagger took the one next to Asuna's. Mabashi, Orion, and Ogawa took the next tunnel over. That left Versais to go with Kirito and Black Fox through the far right tunnel.

"We'll be out of contact in here." Black Fox said, having checked her communications. They were all offline. "We're going in blind. When you find the boss door, wait there for the rest. And don't leave the door. We can't lose people to wandering blindly in here."

"Right." Everyone replied before going into their tunnels. Black Fox and her group were the last to go, waiting for all the soldiers from the other groups to get through the opening of the tunnels.

"Let's go." Versais said, smiling. "We're gonna find that dungeon!" he exclaimed, grinning. Black Fox nodded, walking along side Kirito behind Versais, the soldiers following them closely. "So anyway you two…" he turned to them, now walking backwards. "Have you been behaving?" he teased. "You were gone from the front lines for a looong time." He said, laughing a little. "Black Fox you didn't do anything BAD, did you?"

"Sh-shut up, Versais." She mumbled, blushing more. "Don't bring that stuff up now…" Kirito just kept walking, trying not to look up and show how embarrassed he was about the subject. "We have work to do."

"Oh, but it's so much fun! Besides, we're in the halls… no reason to panic." He turned back around. "No monsters are going to come out here-"

"Don't be so sure of that…" a voice came from down the hallway. "After all… this opurrrrtunity isn't going to pass us by…" a pair of reddish eyes appeared at the end of the hall, any light from the torches was extinguished along the line of the hall that was drowned in a split so clean that it wasn't made by any ordinary shadow. There was also a tapping noise, sounding almost like a tail whacking something that made a resonating sound.

"We're here to avenge the one you imprisoned… his power is ours now…" another voice came from the end of the hall, another smaller pair of the same color eyes appeared. "And you will never see the real world again." Something shot past Kirito, catching his cheek and making him bleed. "We start with the loved one of the girl who put master behind bars!" the smaller one shot out from the shadows, revealing himself as a torn up version of the weasel that White Fox had been able to summon. But he missed Kirito, ending up killing a soldier. When another tried to catch it, the weasel killed him as well. No matter how many soldiers tried, they all were too slow to catch him. But when Kirito and Black Fox went to attack the weasel, the other figure blocked them with a white net made of chi, blocking out Versais from them.

"I will be the one to end you two… Weasel, take out the hammer boy." She emerged, revealing the two-tailed cat. She was almost as beat up as the weasel. The weasel just kept killing soldiers, Versais trying to catch it without killing any of the soldiers. Kirito glanced back at the cat, turning to fight it. "What a helpless child… I wish master had killed you…" she grinned, her teeth sharp and blade-like. "But now I get to kill you… and make the girl suffer as I destroy you slowly." The cat charged, Black Fox trying to block, but ending up getting thrown to the ground by something unseen. And then, she heard a voice in her head.

"You cannot save him…" it was a feminine voice… a deep one… "You will lose him… just like all the others…" she could see fights happening all throughout the dungeon, the soldiers being killed and the main forces being cut in half, one being in a similar situation as her, the others being split up by a similar barrier. "You will be forever alone, child…"

"No…" Black Fox watched Kirito fighting the cat, managing to damage it, but he was taking damage as well. "No…" she felt tears in her eyes as Kirito lost his sword to a blow by the cat's claws, its tails wrapping around his neck and hand to keep him from escaping. She remembered her mother the hospital… the night she died… She remembered watching Hibiya get cut down by an image of the girl he loved… "NO!" she screamed, the weight that held her suddenly dissolving away, allowing her to attack the cat. "Shikigami Art! Shadow of the Black Sky Sickle!" the shadow sliced down, cutting the cat's tails off. It reeled back, hissing and arching its back as its tails bled. "K-kirito!" the barrier fell away and Versais managed to catch the weasel, its speed being almost cut in half as the tails fell away. She got to Kirito's side, seeing his health bar in the red, but slowly recovering. She sighed in relief, hugging him tight. "Kirito…"

"Sorry… I got caught off guard…" he mumbled, holding onto her weakly. "I'm okay…" he rubbed his throat as she gave him a little space. "You've got the cat on the ropes." He said, looking over at it, seeing it's health bar in the red. "Finish it…"

"… Right." She nodded, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I will…" she said. She turned to the cat, glaring at it. "You're the one who's going to die here… Joker Cat… it's over…" she walked over to the cat, watching it backing up till it was against the wall.

"It will never be over!" she hissed. "Our leader still lives! She will destroy you!" she jumped at Black Fox, claws gleaming.

"… Shikigami Art. Midnight Pinwheel…" Black Fox's attack sent the cat flying into the wall, breaking it completely. "I'm sorry to have lost you this way… you were a good comrade in the beta…" she mumbled, turning to Versais, who had smashed the Weasel with his hammer. "And you as well…" she stared at the ground where the weasel had been as Versais returned his hammer to its resting place. She looked at the broken wall, receiving the Experience points and rewards for defeating the cat. "… Let's get going, guys…" she glanced back at the weasel's victims, seeing them vanish. "This is why… I asked them not to come…" she mumbled before she moved forward. Her energy bar was low and her health was still recovering, the thing that had pushed her to the ground and stopped her from moving had been sapping her health. Kirito and Versais caught up with her, the soldiers who were recovering saying they would wait there for their health to come back up.

"Are you okay?" Kirito took her hand, seeing her stumbling a little. "Maybe we should wait…"

"No… we can't… whatever's going on here… we have to end it…" she said, stopping as they emerged from the tunnel, seeing a huge black door in front of them in a room that was like a cathedral or something, but worn out, torn up and blackened with dust and cobwebs. It looked like what you might expect if a cathedral could "die" and rot. A shell of a corpse… They looked around, not seeing anyone around. "None of the others are here yet…" she felt her stomach churning, hoping everyone was okay after what she'd seen. "We'll wait…" she said standing near the door and staring at it, Kirito taking a seat next to her. She glanced at him, seeing the cut on his face still and gently wiping away the blood and kissing his cheek. He blushed, but he didn't pull away. It wasn't like it hurt… but… she still took such careful care of him. "… Behind that door… I don't think it's the boss that was originally programmed in…" she said to him. "I think that Florien put in a fail-safe… because he knew that anyone who could get to this level would be able to defeat him… I think he brought down the last boss to this dungeon…"

"The Boss from level 100?" Kirito asked, causing Black Fox to nod at him. "Why would he do that?" he questioned as Versais took a seat nearby.

"I think he programmed it so that if his health bar ever hit zero, the level 100 boss would come to defeat whoever defeated him…"

"Wait, what? But we didn't kill him." Kirito stated.

"No… you didn't… I did…" she whispered. "I went… a few nights ago… when you were sleeping…" she said, making Kirito's eyes widen in shock. "He threatened to get out and kill you… I got angry… and lost control…" she mumbled, her mask hiding the tears Kirito knew were forming. "But I still think he managed to get out… somehow…" she turned to him. "I won't let him take you away…"

"I won't go anywhere." He said, taking her hand. "Just… relax… it's okay… We'll win…"

"… Right." She nodded to him. Versais watched them, smiling. They were helping each other's state of being… their mindset… it was good for them both. They waited for an hour, and no one came… Black Fox glanced at the door again for the 10th time in the past half hour. She kept hearing something that bothered her. Kirito just stayed with her, Versais standing up.

"I'll go check it out."

"We agreed that we wouldn't do that." Kirito stated, but Versais shook his head.

"We have to do something." He stated. "Besides, I can handle myself. I'll be back." He tousled Black Fox's hair, patting Kirito's shoulder. "You need to take care of her. Keep her from charging in there alone."

"R-right…" he mumbled, watching Versais leave without another word. Black Fox just watched him go silently. She sighed once he was gone.

"The sky is dark… but the light that seems to be a sign of hope is a sign of death…" she mumbled, making Kirito look over at her. "That's what Florien said to me… when I told him I would kill him. I still don't get it…"

"… the sky is dark… sounds pretty accurate for the current situation." Kirito said, leaning against her shoulder. "The light that seems to be a sign of hope is a sign of death…" he pondered for a minute. "I dunno…"

"Well, whatever it means… we'll get this done…" she said to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "Kazuto… I'm going to make sure that we get out of here…"

"I know…" he took her hand, holding it as he did when he told her that she couldn't rely on other knights. "And I vow the same to you… Akemi…" he smiled up at her, seeing her blushing like crazy. His face was turning red as well. "Wh-why are you blushing so much?"

"S-so-sorry… you… that was… unexpected…" she said, managing a smile. "I think… you're going to end up being the one who makes my heart flutter when we get back… not the other way around…" she held his hand tight. They stared at each other until they heard something from the door. They turned to see the clouds of dust kicking up from something moving around in the room behind the door. "Whatever that thing is… it's going to be a tough fight."

"Yeah." Kirito stood up, staring at the door. They both glanced at each other and then back at the door, suddenly seeing smoke rising from under the door, a heat spot growing in the middle of the door. Black Fox pulled Kirito down to the floor as a huge fireball cut a clean hole in the door, flying right at them and passing over their heads, landing less than a few yards behind them. A huge white paw emerged from the hole, the wall and door melting as its huge reddish claws ran across the space. "It's just like Florien's chains…" Kirito mumbled.

"Unfortunately so…" Black Fox said, hearing a deep, angry growl from the room, the dissolving wall crumbling as a huge white fox-shaped thing with red marks on its face and nine tails emerged. But it didn't attack immediately.

"You there… girl…" the fox growled. "You are the one who killed Master Florien…"she separated from Kirito, glaring at the fox.

"That's right." She stated. "You're the Nine Tailed Fox… The master of White Protocol Shikigami Arts…" She added, still staring at it. "I don't understand why you are Florien's servant… but you're most definitely the one whose defeat will get us out."

"Heh… smart girl… You're the girl who controls the current Black Protocol." The fox replied, the red eyes resembling White Fox's in a way. "The one who partnered with the girl who was supposed to control me… I will enjoy this fight greatly, little one." She grinned, her teeth shining and white. "Your little knight needs to stay out of this." A white cage-like thing fell over Kirito, trapping him. He tried to get out, but to no avail. "Now our battle will be uninterrupted…"

"… Fine with me." She stated, removing her mask, her eyes coloring black with golden flecks, her energy rising above the green level. "I won't be holding back…"

"Heh. Good. If you hold back, your dear husband there will die…" the fox's energy rose as well, her eyes coloring in a way that made them look alive with fire. "And I might just keep him as a pet…"

"Shikigami Art Summoning… Shadow Bear… Midnight Wolf…" Black Fox's group of summoned help appeared as she glared up at the fox. "Pet? Hah. You're the pet here." She said. "Shikigami Art… Noir Spiral Fang!"

Kirito could only watch, and it didn't seem good. Black Fox was cutting down the HP of the huge creature, but it was taking so long… and the fox wasn't even attacking yet. Just swatting away the wolves and bear like they were nothing. The fox laughed and taunted as the battle continued. This was getting nowhere… he had to help her. But he couldn't break his cage. He looked up from the bars on the cage in time to see Black Fox get thrown to the ground, her HP faltering and dropping to the red just from that one hit. The bear protected her from a fireball that the fox launched their way, but it vanished just from one hit. "N-no…"

"Little girl, you are helpless against me…" the fox said, grinning. "I will win… your boy will be mine…" she laughed. "I will never let you or your friends leave Ryuuko…"

"No." Black Fox got up shakily, her energy bar now blazing white. "I will not lose to you…" she said, black marks drawing themselves across her arms and on the left side of her face, which was facing Kirito. He stared, seeing some of the marks emerging into the air from her back, a huge looming shape forming. The fox grinned, charging another attack. "Please hear my voice, master of the Black Protocol… Shikigami Art Summoning… Noir Dragon." The shapes took form, the marks on her face and arms remaining, all the others forming a huge dragon-like beast behind her. "Noir Dragon… I have a request." The dragon leaned its head over to Black Fox. "I wish for you to lend me your powers, just for this fight… to save my friends… comrades…" she glanced back at Kirito. "To save the boy I want to protect above all else…"

"It will have a heavy price, child…" the deep booming voice of the dragon seemed to be telepathic, its mouth sealed shut with stitches and not moving. "Are you willing?"

"Yes." She replied, turning to pet the dragon's jaw. "I will give it to you… if you help me save him…" she stated, the dragon's eyes that had remained closed opening as she stared at it. The stunning purple flecked with blues and turquoises orbs stared at her before turning to the fox.

"My opponent is you? Interesting… we have not fought before." He stated, raising his head. "I will enjoy this." He added, flaring out his wings.

"As will I…" the fox stated, lunging at the dragon. The clash had begun…

* * *

(Enter giant boss fight ; U ; Was this one okay? I hope this chapter is good. I MIGHT. repeat, MIGHT. Post one more tonight. We shall see. I start school tomorrow though, so maybe not.

Will the next chapter be the last in Ryuuko? Stay tuned to find out ; u ;

-Winter Cheshire)


	13. Level Twelve - Escape

**Level Twelve: Escape**

* * *

_Level Ninety Five: Demon's Trail Dungeon_

The Noir Dragon and the Nine Tailed Fox continued to fight, Kirito watching from his cage as Black Fox's energy meter began to falter. But the dragon was strong, and the fox was starting to lose more and more health points. The fox would strike out at the dragon, but would be knocked back by Black Fox's Noir Spiral Fang attack. When it went for her, the dragon protected her. The fox knew she was losing, and so she began using her own techniques more frequently. The White Curved Talon coating her claws and becoming like swords, only to be knocked back by a Midnight Pinwheel… the fireballs being stopped dead in their tracks by the Black Sky Sickle's slashing… slowly, slowly, the health bars dropped.

Soon, the other members of the group came into the room with Versais leading the way. The fox's health bar had just hit zero, and she fell onto her side, still smirking despite no longer being able to regenerate her health. The dragon turned to look at Black Fox, bowing his head to her and vanishing, her energy bar falling drastically low, almost hitting zero. Her health bar took a huge dive, falling almost as low. The cage holding Kirito shattered and he was able to rush over to her, catching her as she fell. "You did it." He whispered, holding her tight. "You did it, Akemi…" he smiled at her, seeing how exhausted she was.

"It's not over…" The fox stated, still lying there. "There is one more opponent you must fight… the White Paladin…" she stated, glancing at the room she'd emerged from. "He's waiting… in there… the last resort in case I actually lost." She scoffed, but laughed it off. "And with your precious Chi-user out of power, there is no way you can win…"

"Shut up you old hag of a fox." Black Fox retorted, shocking everyone. The fox laughed as she began to vanish. "Kirito will win."

"We shall see, child…" she replied, closing her eyes as she dissolved the rest of the way. Kirito looked down at Black Fox, the markings from earlier vanishing.

"One more boss fight, huh?" Versais walked over, having caught the conversation. "Your health seems intact…" he glanced down at Black Fox. "And you kept her alive." He grinned.

"I didn't…"

"You did, Kirito." Black Fox said, smiling up at him. "If you hadn't been my motivation… the Dragon would not have answered me… It only responds to those who call it to protect others…" she pet his head, her hand trembling. "Now… you get to be the hero…" she whispered, chuckling. He nodded, leaving her in Orion's care as he went into the room. There in the center of the floor stood a white-armor clad knight-class with a blank mask over its face, the twin swords at his sides gleaming a little.

"You are my opponent?" it asked. Kirito nodded, glaring at the White Paladin. "Then draw your blade, young one." He drew his swords, readying himself to fight the black-clad knight that stood before him. "We shall end this… feud of light and dark." Kirito drew his blade, taking a breath before he charged. He was almost as fast as Asuna at this point, and she was ridiculously fast. He was stronger than Mabashi, quicker to react than Suzuka… but the man he was fighting was all that and more. Kirito continued to fight, but was struggling against the pressure of two blades to his one. He was forced to draw his second blade, but as he did things went bad.

"Kirito-kun, look out!" he heard Asuna call out, knowing that the others couldn't enter the room because of a barrier. He saw the knight coming in front of him, but the blade contacted his back for a split second, tearing just his coat.

"White Light Illusion…" he heard the paladin say. "Your sight is now useless… I can come at you from anywhere…" the Paladin stated. Kirito whipped around just in time to block the attack that could have cost him over half of his points. He barely managed to get out from under the intense pressure of the attack when the next one came at him.

* * *

Black Fox could see him struggling, feeling like she had to help him. But her health was still in the red and she was in no condition to use her chi-user abilities. It would sap her health points away. But watching Kirito fighting and struggling made her anxious.

* * *

Kirito continued to fight the Paladin, slashing and dodging, then parrying attacks… but he was getting nowhere. This person's health was staggeringly high, and no matter how he tried, hitting him seemed impossible… He saw the blade coming his way and barely rolled away in time, but in the process losing one of his swords. "Kirito-kun!" the others cried out to him, knowing that with only one sword, he was in much higher danger of losing his life. The Paladin's sword came down on Kirito… or so everyone thought. But as the smoke cleared, there was someone in his way. Black Fox had broken away from Orion and the others, using the midnight wolves to take her into the shadows and into the room, catching the sword on the Black Fox mask, which was ridiculously strong for what it was. Her energy bar was red still, nearly at zero. Her health dropped a little. "B-black Fox!"

"Akemi…" Kirito sat there in shock, looking at her health and energy bar. "Y-you can't-!"

"Kazuto… I told you before… I won't lose you…" she said, leaning over to kiss him, the mask cracking a little as the paladin tried to push through it. When he tried to pull the swords away, they got stuck. The mask was holding onto them, a black shadow reaching from the mask and wrapping around the blades. "I'm not letting you fight him alone…"

"… but I-"

"No arguing." She said, smiling at him. "The mask will break in 10 seconds… be ready." She stated, feeling the mask breaking in her hands, moving away with Kirito as the attack landed on the floor, causing a huge crater. The Paladin looked frustrated, but he did not move. His pure-white blades were chipped now… his health bar dropped as well.

"Damn you, what did you do to me?!" he exclaimed.

"Heh… foolish to think you could keep me away from my lover, White Paladin…" she said, hugging Kirito a little, more for support than anything else, but enjoying being able to taunt the opponent. "Your Knight attribute is strong… but that doesn't mean that Kirito will lose." She said, the sword that Kirito had dropped being dragged back to him by a single Midnight Wolf, who then dissolved immediately. The Paladin prepared his next attack and Black Fox let Kirito step forward. The battle would be decided with a final blow… The others watched in anticipation, seeing the two line up for their final move. They charged after a long, heavy silence and took a single stoke of their blades, their techniques setting off a huge shockwave that shattered the barrier.

After the dust settled, Black Fox managed to look up from where she was, seeing the Paladin falter before falling. His swords shattered, and his armor was in pieces. Kirito had won. But his health bar did take a hit and it plummeted to nearly zero. She managed to get over to him first, hugging onto him and falling to a sitting position, hugging him to her. "Akemi…" he mumbled, seeing the congratulations panel for defeating the final boss.

"You're amazing." She said, tears stinging her eyes as the sign appeared for her as well. "You're the best, Kazuto…" the others approached, but as they did the whole area shook like it was enduring a huge earthquake. Someone took a look at the map, eyes going wide.

"Th-the levels are collapsing! We have to get out of here!"

"B-but how?!"

"There." The Paladin pointed to the door at the other end of the room. "That's final passage to the exit… the five levels that were supposed to be above here have vanished… that's the way out." He said, sitting up and looking at Kirito. "You put up a good fight, young one…" he bowed his head to Kirito. "I wish you and your lover luck in the real world." The others all began heading that way, Orion and Jagger helping the Paladin as well. Black Fox managed to stand, Kirito helping her as much as he could in his weakened state.

"We're finally leaving…" Black Fox mumbled as they made it to the door, everyone else going through quickly. She turned to Kirito, smiling. "I love you…"

"I love you too." He replied, kissing her in front of the door. "I'll find you… I swear."

"I look forward to it." She said. "You go first. It only accepts people one at a time." She said, ushering him into the door first. He looked back at her, but going through reluctantly. She paused, looking back at the floor as it began to vanish. She smiled. "Goodbye, Willow Lake…" she mumbled, going through the door just as the floor beneath her began to disappear too.

* * *

_Tokyo Hospital: September 23__rd__ 2024 - 6:28pm_

Kazuto opened his eyes, seeing a white ceiling above his head… the nerve gear eye shield slightly obscuring his view. Wait. The nerve gear. He bolted up and, though weak, he pulled it off, looking around. He was in a hospital… he looked at how thin he was… he felt a little weird, he assumed from being in a bed for so long… He glanced around, seeing no one in the room. Just the equipment and some furniture… His train of thought routed him back to what had just happened. He wanted to find Akemi, that was his first priority. He did his best to get out of bed and into the hallway, glancing around for signs of her. But after 10 minutes, he'd been spotted by a nurse, who was making him return to his room. But along the way, he saw a boy with blackish hair and muted lavender eyes wandering into a room with a monotone expression on his face. Kirito told himself that he'd have to visit that boy later… he looked so much like Akemi's description of her little brother. But for now, he was stuck in his room.

* * *

_September 24__th__ 2024 – 10:00am_

Kazuto had finished breakfast and wandered to the room he'd seen that boy go into yesterday, knocking quietly on the door. To his surprise, the boy came to the door. He paused for a moment before speaking. "Are you one of the people who was trapped in Ryuuko with my sister?"

"Y-yes… I'm Kazuto Kirigaya… in game Kirito."

"Then you're that beta-tester that she said was a good friend… come in." the boy said, closing the door behind Kazuto immediately. Kazuto looked over at the bed that had a person in it, seeing Akemi laying there, eyes closed. "She's not awake yet…" he stated. "But she mentioned you a lot two years ago when she was playing the beta."

"R-really?" he looked at the boy, pausing for a moment. "A-ah, sorry I didn't catch your name…"

"It's Makoto…" he stated. "I'll just assume that Akemi told you of our last name."

"Y-yeah, she did." He nodded. Makoto took a seat on Akemi's bed, taking his sister's hand.

"She used to talk about you a lot… she never talked about anyone that much except me…" he looked at Kazuto. "You seem a little young to be with my sister…"

"Wh-whaa-?" Kazuto's face went red and he panicked a little.

"Relax. I don't care, so long as you don't break her heart." He stated sternly. "There will be hell to pay if you ever make her cry." He stood up and went to the door. "I'm going to get some coffee… Spend a few minutes with her." He stated, leaving the room quickly. Kazuto was confused, but the fact that he was nice enough to leave him alone in the room with Akemi reassured him that he did at least trust him a little. Kazuto knelt next to Akemi, holding her hand and leaning half-way onto her bed.

"Akemi… your brother's pretty insightful huh?" he asked, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb as he held onto her hand lightly. "He cares about you a lot… I bet he'll be really happy when you wake up… I know I will be." He whispered, kissing his hand. "I'll… I'll be here to see you when you wake up, okay? I'll come visit you as often as I can…"

Makoto stood outside the door, listening to Kazuto talk to his sister. He smiled a little to himself. 'And I thought I was the only one she would have to talk to…' he thought, walking down the hall to a vending machine to get his coffee in a can.

* * *

_November 2024 – 11:30am_

It had been two months since the Ryuuko incident, and Kazuto was on his way to visit Akemi in the hospital. It was a Sunday, and he'd become rather close friends with Makoto, seeing as they did attend the same school. He'd also kept in touch with the others like Asuna, Agil, and Suzuka from Ryuuko. Suzuka had kept tabs on everyone else, and apparently a few of them were college students. Suzuka was about 22, and Asuna was 17 now, a year older than Kazuto was. He arrived at the hospital and headed up to see Akemi. He'd completed his rehabilitation the week before and he was a very familiar face at the hospital now. He got to the room, seeing Makoto playing a handheld game to pass the time. The boy waved to him silently before going back to his game. Kazuto waved back and sat next to Akemi's bed, taking her hand and telling her some things about the past week. He'd just finished telling her that Asuna was also a student at his school when he felt her hand twitch. It hadn't done that in the past. He looked up at her face and saw that she was opening her eyes. "A-akemi?" Makoto looked up and bolted from bed, going to his sister's side.

"Akemi-nee?" he asked, almost looking afraid to touch her. She let out a sigh, opening her eyes and glancing around, looking disoriented.

"Ma… ko… to?" she looked up at her brother, who hugged her with small tears in his eyes.

"Akemi-nee!" he was ecstatic to see her awake. She smiled weakly, hugging him back.

"You… got tall without me around…" she chuckled. "I'm sorry… for being away…" she whispered, grasping Kazuto's hand tighter as a way to acknowledge his presence without interrupting her reunion with her little brother. Makoto let go and went to inform a nurse, leaving Kazuto alone with Akemi. She smiled at him, her grip weak, but her hand never left his. "Kazuto…" she leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Don't cry…" Kazuto hadn't noticed, but he was tearing up too. He wiped the tears away with his free hand, leaning up to kiss Akemi on the lips, making her blush a little. "K-kazuto…"

"How did you know it was me?" he asked her. She giggled a little.

"Who else would be holding my hand in my hospital room? Besides, my brother wouldn't let anyone I didn't talk about to him a lot anywhere near me, especially when I'm not conscious." She stated, simply. "Besides… you're even more adorable than I imagined." She added, kissing him on the lips again, only to be interrupted by a doctor clearing his throat.

"As much as I hate to interrupt a young couple in love… I do have to make sure Akemi-san is alright." He stated, quirking an eyebrow at the boy who was kissing his patient. Makoto stood there with a small grin, knowingly watching his sister's expression get nervous.

"R-right, sorry." Akemi rubbed the back of her neck as Makoto escorted Kazuto out of the room, the nurses beginning to help the doctor take his tests and whatnot. She just sat there, wanting Kazuto to be back at her side… she didn't understand why she needed him around… but she knew it had been a while since they'd spoken… and she knew she was too weak to leave the hospital. So for now, hospital visits would be her only contact with the boy she'd fallen so madly in love with. But that would be fine, so long as she was able to tell him things that made him blush.

* * *

_December 18__th__, 2024 – 10:45am_

Finally, all the paperwork was in order. After a month of rehabilitation, Akemi was able to leave the hospital, even if just for a little while. Makoto was given permission to be his sister's escort to keep an eye on her health… though it was a little awkward for two boys to be with a sickly young lady, it made Akemi very happy. "It's like a 3-way date." She said simply as they exited the hospital, making Kazuto blush and Makoto sigh in exasperation at his big sister, cheeks tinted pink. "I like the idea."

"You like weird things, then." Makoto said, which made Akemi smile at him. "But… you wouldn't be my sister if that weren't the case."

"That's right." She nodded at his words. "Because without a strange big sister, things would be boring to you, Makoto." She said cheerfully. Kazuto stuck close to Akemi, but he was a little nervous to take her hand. Instead, he found her being the one to initiate their first time holding hands in public. "Nervous?" she asked. He nodded in response.

"Geez, don't do that around me." Makoto said. "Get a room."

"But Makoto, we share a room." She reminded her brother, making him turn to stare at her.

"I didn't mean at the hospital." He said, almost afraid of what she'd try to do if he left them alone in the hospital room for too long. "If you're planning on stuff like that, go to the apartment." He stated, making a face that made Akemi chuckle.

"Aww, fine fine." She shrugged. "I'll kidnap Kazuto to the apartment when I'm better so I can make him all blushy and melty." She stated, Kazuto's face burning even redder. But he just went along with the conversation, seeing as Akemi was obviously still able to make him this embarrassed… and her Black Fox personality hadn't gone away, either. But he was happy to be with her… The three continued on their little expedition, everyone immediately being able to tell that Makoto and Akemi were related. But when they got to a crepe stand, the woman serving them said that Kazuto and Akemi made a sweet couple. Akemi looked very pleased and Kazuto's face burned bright red. That was the first time he'd heard someone out of the hospital say anything about them being together… and it was positive. They sat and ate their crepes, Kazuto enjoying a couple of small, but romantic moments with Akemi. Makoto just ate his crepe, enjoying bonding time with his sister again after 2 year of being apart from her. The three spend a couple more hours outside before heading back to the hospital… Kazuto was going to be on his way, but the weather had other plans.

"Alright everyone, it looks like we're snowed in." the head nurse said as she entered the room Akemi and Makoto stayed in. "The plows should be here soon, but for the night everyone's staying here." She bowed and left to inform the other rooms. Makoto turned his head towards Kazuto and Akemi as the younger boy called his parents to let them know. He mouthed to his sister 'Don't be a perv.' She paused, smiling a little with a small grin as she mouthed back to her little brother.

'I'll try.'

* * *

((Next Chapter is lovey dovey to the max o u o

But no serious love yet o u o;;; That won't come for a few more chapters

In the mean time, I've got to start school in the morning ; u ;'''

So I might not post again for a few days. Hope to see some reviews for this soon.

-Winter Cheshire))


	14. Level Thirteen: Family

**Level Thirteen: Family**

* * *

_Tokyo Hospital: December 18__th__, 2024 – 6pm_

The hospital served dinner, and surprisingly the food wasn't all that bad. Kazuto just stayed with Akemi and Makoto as they ate, talking about new VMMORPG games that they might play once they came out and stuff like that. "I was thinking about Rise of the Autumn Moon." Akemi stated as she finished her pudding cup. "I've heard it's gotten rave reviews… not to mention that its graphics are really nice…" she smiled. Makoto paused, quirking an eyebrow at his sister.

"Isn't that the game where you can have s-" a pillow flew into his face, stopping him mid-sentence and almost making him drop his coffee. "GAH! Hey!" he pulled the pillow off of his face and gave half a glare to his sister, who had turned her head as though she was innocent. "I'm just saying…"

"Well I don't need you saying that." She scolded him. "Bad manners, for dinner conversation." She added. Kazuto tilted his head, wondering what Makoto was going to say, but not wanting to bring it up. "Anyway…" she glanced at Kazuto. "Have you heard about it?"

"I remember reading about it… I was thinking that might be a good way to get back in the VMMORPG scene after Ryuuko. And I hear that the class restrictions are fairly lax, so you can pick up skills from other classes on the lower range, at least." He said. Akemi smiled and nodded. He paused, looking at her, then down at his food tray. He stood up from his chair and placed his pudding cup on her tray, blushing a little as she looked up at him. "Th-that's for you."

"Aww, thank you Kazuto." She said, hugging onto his arm, making him blush even more. "You should try one bite at least." She said, letting go just long enough to move her hands so she could pull him to sit next to her. Before he could protest, she had the little cup open and had a spoonful of the sweet dessert in his mouth… her spoon. He blushed bright red, but he swallowed without protest.

"N-not bad…"

"Yay, you ate some." She chuckled, kissing his cheek before she ate the rest of the pudding cup. Makoto just sighed, rolling his eyes at his sister and her boyfriend. But… he could let them be lovey dovey like that, it wasn't a big deal. He just didn't want to be around when she tried to make out with him.

After dinner, Akemi and Kazuto went for a walk, part of Akemi's recommended daily exercise. The pair wandered the hospital together, Kazuto seeing Akemi greeting a few of the people in the hospital he'd never seen before. He looked up at her a little. "How do you know all these people?" he asked her.

"I told you right? On level Twenty Seven." She said as they kept walking. "Makoto's been in the hospital for a long time… since about 1 year before Ryuuko started up." She stopped at a vending machine and took out some money to get something for herself and Kazuto. "I know every doctor or nurse that's ever had to help him or tend to him… and over that time, I think that was just about everyone at the hospital." She stated. She grabbed the cans of juice as they came out of the slot, handing one to Kazuto. "Though, I never expected to end up here myself." She said with a smile as she opened her can of juice.

"I don't think any of us did…" he said, watching her as she drank her beverage. "Did the doctors say how much longer you'd be in here?"

"Not really." She smiled at him. "They're not too sure about my condition's stability, but I'll make you the first on the call list when I know." She said, wrapping her arm around his waist. "And I promise that you'll be the first person I spend my free time with once I'm better." He nodded, blushing a little at her sudden show of affection, as small as it was. And right now, that was all he wanted…

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: January 4__th__, 2025 - 11am_

Akemi sighed to herself as she returned to her apartment, Makoto accompanying her since his condition had become stable again. With his illness not as bad as it had been 2 years prior, things were a little easier on them both. Akemi opened the door, glancing around inside before walking towards her room. Everything was surprisingly clean and well kept… the rubbish had been emptied and the bed was clean. "Did aunty come and clean up while I was in the hospital…?"

"She said she would." Makoto replied, opening the window in the kitchen. "They know you worked hard to get this place. They paid your rent for you, too."

"They did…?" she sighed, smiling. "That's just like them, isn't it? Always taking care of me…" she opened the window in her bedroom. "Ahh, I miss the air…" she mumbled softly. Akemi had a corner apartment with a decent rent and good facilities. It was still cold, but the air needed to clear out the stuffy apartment. She'd close it if she decided to do any cooking or something. She went to her computer desk, checking everything over before turning on the now outdated system. Everything seemed in order…

"Does it work?" Makoto asked, looking into her room. She nodded at him, checking out everything… being away for 2 years meant a LOT of messages to look through, delete, and reply to… not to mention she had to update her securities too. "Do that later, we should get some food for you."

"For me? Are you going back to aunty's house?"

"No, I'm staying here." He stated adamantly. "But I eat the same stuff as you."

"Good point…" she sighed, getting up and closing her bedroom window. Makoto closed the kitchen window after they wrote up a list of what they needed, heading out to shop for groceries and maybe do a walk through town to see if anything had changed. They paused at the entrance of a café, both tilting their heads. "Do you remember ever coming here?"

"Not at all." Makoto replied.

"Well let's go have a look, then." She said, heading inside, her brother following her quietly. It seemed deserted, until… "Ah… Agil-san…" the man looked up to see the pair, smiling.

"Welcome." He stated. "Judging by that face… Black Fox?" he asked, causing her to nod and move to take a seat, her brother doing the same. "Who is this?"

"My little brother, Makoto."she replied, Makoto giving a short greeting before looking at the menu. Akemi just smiled at him before turning to Agil. "Oh so… I suppose we should introduce our real names…? I'm Akemi." She said, extending her hand to him. He smiled.

"I'm Andrew Gilbert Mills. Andrew is fine."

"Andrew-san then." She smiled. "Have you been in contact with the others since the game ended?" she asked him, earning a small grin from the older man.

"Yes. In fact, one of them is on his way here." He stated, hearing the door open. "Speak of the devil." He smiled, Akemi turning to see Kazuto standing at the door.

"K-kazuto?"

"A-akemi?" they both blushed, having not expected to see one another for a few more days. He went over and she hugged him around the waist before pulling him to sit in the seat next to her. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I live in an apartment nearby." She said to him with a smile. "And you?"

"I-I came to ask about something about getting back into the VMMORPG scene…" he mumbled. Makoto rolled his eyes and Andrew smiled.

"Hey, no lovey-dovey in front of the kid." He joked, Makoto mumbling that he wasn't a kid before ordering some coffee for himself and Akemi. "Coming right up." He said, beginning to work on the drinks.

"So… how have you been?" he asked, taking her hand discreetly. She just smiled.

"I've been good. Just went back to my apartment today." She said cheerfully. "And I'm going grocery shopping for dinner after this." She added. Kazuto looked at the ground, seeing a bag of instant foods and non-perishable items. "Those are for when I get back into school. I don't have a lot of cooking time during exams and whatnot, so I figure I'd stock up."

"You eat all that…?"

"No, half is for Makoto." She said, her brother just leaning on the counter a little. "Since I'm his tutor and all, I use those for study session midnight-snacks." Kazuto nodded, wondering how the two of them remained so skinny, eating all that instant food. "Anyway, how have you been doing, Kazuto?"

"I-I've been researching about some of the new games…" he mumbled. "And preparing for school…" he mumbled. "I don't know if I can handle going back after 2 whole years…"

"If you need a tutor, hire Akemi-nee." Makoto stated suddenly. "She's better than most and she charges next to nothing." Kazuto looked up at Makoto, then at Akemi.

"I-I don't want to bother you…"

"It's no bother. And I already know how you can pay me too." She chuckled; kissing his cheek and making his face turn bright red, seeing as he knew the implications of those words. Andrew returned with their coffee, Kazuto not wanting any so he just ordered some hot chocolate.

"I-I guess… that's fine…" he mumbled. She smiled.

"Good. I guess that means I can buy more food." She said cheerfully. "Now what can I cook?" she asked, pondering about it. Makoto just sipped his drink, ignoring his sister and her boyfriend as they began discussing the sorts of things Kazuto liked to eat.

* * *

After leaving the café, Kazuto offered to go with them to shop around for things when Makoto got a call. "Hello?... oh, Aunty…" he mumbled. "Yeah, she's here… your house…? You just want to meet her boyfriend, Aunty." He stated. "Yeah yeah, I'll let her know…" he mumbled a goodbye before hanging up. "Aunty wants us to have dinner at her place… the twins want to see you." He said to Akemi. "And Aunty wants to meet this boyfriend of yours."

"Eeeh…" Akemi smiled, turning to Kazuto. "Is that okay?" she asked, tilting her head a little at him. He just blushed, nodding a little before getting hugged by the girl. "Thank you, Kazuto."

"L-l-let me call home first…" he mumbled, getting his phone out and trying to calm down so he could explain things to his family. He held his conversation with his aunt/stepmother before hanging up, cheeks bright red. "Sh-she said it was fine…" he mumbled.

"Good." Akemi said as she headed towards the market. "Now let's go finish that shopping, then we can go to aunty's place." She said, Makoto walking with Kazuto as his sister walked ahead of them, now seeming much more cheery.

* * *

Upon arriving at the house, Kazuto realized that they were maybe 3 or 4 blocks from his home. He walked up to the house with Makoto, Akemi already at the door. The woman who opened the door was around his mother's age and looked very cheerful. "Akemi, Makoto." She smiled, hugging them both. "You're finally home… I'm so happy."

"Aunty… you're going to suffocate Makoto…" Akemi said, noticing that he was grabbed more around the neck than she was. The woman let go and apologized to her nephew, earning a mumbled response before the boy headed inside. "Aunty. This is Kazuto."

"Kazuto Kirigaya-kun, it's a pleasure to meet anyone who can make Akemi happy."

"A-aunty…"

"It's true." She said, ushering the two inside. "Make yourselves comfortable. Akemi, you can leave your groceries in the fridge until you head home." She said, rushing into the kitchen again. Akemi sighed, giving Kazuto a hug before going to help her aunt, putting on an apron and helping the woman with the cooking. Kazuto took a seat across from Makoto, who was sitting in a one-seater and checking his phone.

"Kaa-san!"

"Kaa-sama!" two voices came from down the hall, Kazuto glancing up to see two little kids, around 6 or 7 running down the hall. The one with a bear plush squeaked happily and ran over to Akemi, clinging to her leg. "Akemi-nee!"

"Ake-nee!" the one with the cat plush clung to her other leg. Akemi just kept cooking, not wanting to let the food burn, a small chuckle coming from her at the sudden clinging children.

"Now, now you two…" their mother scolded. "Go get your big brother. Knowing him he'll want to see Akemi too." She said, the two pouting before letting go and rushing back down the hall they came from. Kazuto looked to Makoto, who'd just closed his phone.

"Those two are Kiku and Riku…" he stated. "Kiku's the one with the bear. Riku's the one with the cat." He explained, Kazuto nodding. He heard a complaining voice and a door open, seeing the twins jump on the couch and hide from the older boy who walked down the hall, older than Akemi be a couple of years, or so he assumed. The boy's messy black hair and brown eyes were accompanied by thick-rimmed glasses and an all-black wardrobe. He looked over to the kitchen and saw Akemi, his eyes widening.

"Akemi-nee…" he mumbled, heading over to her and immediately hugging her. "You're here…" he whispered, the girl smiling cheerfully.

"Sorry about that, Aya…" she said, hugging him back. "How've you been?" Kazuto looked up at Makoto again.

"That's Ayaori… Riku and Kiku's older brother. He's 2 years younger than Akemi-nee." He replied, the comment making the boy turn to the living room, then back to Akemi.

"You got a boyfriend? Where did you meet him?"

"Aya, no interrogating." She scolded. "Where I met him and how will be explained at dinner. There's a long story to be told."

"Story time! Story time!" the twins exclaimed, earning half a glare from their brother. They hid again as Ayaori went to Kazuto and stared at him for a minute.

"He's too young for you."

"Aya. Don't make me get involved in this conversation." His mother stated, making the boy stop and turn to her. "Age is just a number."

"…" he scoffed and went to sit down at the table, the twins following his lead as Akemi finished cooking. Makoto went to help his sister move food as Kazuto just sat and watched, feeling out of place in this cohesive household. But Akemi walked over to him after putting away her apron, helping him up and hugging him.

"It's okay. It's a little crazy here, but no one will be upset." She said cheerfully. "They all have a good sense of what to and not to say." Kazuto just nodded, blushing a little and letting her escort him to the table. He sat next to Akemi, Makoto on his other side. Ayaori sat next to Akemi as well, the twins between their brother and mother. "Is uncle working late again?" Akemi asked as she poured the tea.

"He's workin' hard!" Riku said, bouncing in his seat, Kiku nodding his head.

"That's good to hear." Akemi said, watching Ayaori serve the rice. The door opened and Makoto glanced over to the hall that lead to the main entrance, waving at the man who walked in. Akemi looked up and smiled. "Ah, there he is."

"Oh, Akemi. Makoto. I didn't know you were coming over." He said, looking glad to see them both. He glanced at Kazuto, smiling. "You must be the young man that's captured my niece's heart, then?" Kazuto nodded, cheeks a little red, moving to stand and greet the man, but Akemi stopped him. He laughed a little, greeting his children before taking his seat next to his wife. "Don't worry, I'm not big on formalities. My sister, Akemi's mother, was much the same." He said.

"Because formalities are meant for the office, not the home." Akemi stated. "At least… so Mama said." Kazuto just nodded, feeling a little strange that the formalities weren't necessary right now.

* * *

Dinner went smoothly and soon it was time to go, the twins clinging to Akemi almost the whole time they were saying goodbye, Ayaori tousling her hair and telling her not to behave indecently, earning a scolding from his older cousin. They left the house, heading towards Kazuto's home first. "Oh, you live down this street?" she asked, looking a little nostalgic. "I used to come around here a lot…" she said cheerfully as they arrived at his house. "Well, we'll see you soon." She said, letting him shake hands with Makoto before hugging him and pecking his cheek, making him blush. "Goodnight, Kazuto."

"G-goodnight…" he said, watching the two walk off, blushing still as he put his hand on the cheek she kissed. He wandered back inside and went to sit down on his bed. Her family seemed to approve of him… but would his family approve of her?

* * *

((Thanks for reading this far, guys ; u ;

There's still more coming, don't worry. I've just slowed down is all.

Reviews are still much loved, and the next chapter, you have 2 big things to look forward too! o u o

1. Rise of the Autumn Moon VMMORPG Debut

2. The introduction of a new villain.

Hope you're all looking forward to it.

-Winter Cheshire))


	15. Rise of the Autumn Moon - Prologue

((Hello Readers ; u ;

This is the start of the second Arc of my story. Another Prologue, I guess you could say, to get you familiar with the next game.

Akemi's Real Life stats from the first prologue remain the same.

So, technically the next chapter will introduce the new villain... sorry about that. ; u ;

Anyway, please look forward to Level 14 of Ryuuko: Fallen Blade, my friends!

I promise I'll get it up when I can find the time... ; u ;''' ahaha.))

* * *

We Bring You to The Next Era of VMMORPG:

This is Rise of the Autumn Moon; The VMMORPG that had no beta testers from outside of the company that made it. In many ways, this is a good thing… no player knows more than any other on opening day. But, that also comes with disadvantages as a gamer. However, the reviews given by those who purchased the demo of the game were astounding and very high. The game sold off the shelves the day of release: January 18th of 2025. The game is compatible with any of the VR Consoles, but many players who purchased the system decided to buy the AmuSphere along with it, since many of the players seemed to be afraid of the Nerve Gear after the Ryuuko Incident.

The game itself is almost like a world map, with 7 connected continents and a variety of special islands meant for players who have gotten through their first 30 levels. Guilds can be formed, shops can be made, and many activities can be done. Rise of the Autumn Moon does, however, require that the player be 16 years or older. The game is rated with age restrictions, and certain features can only be unlocked during certain times of year.

The 7 continents are connected by bridges called "Grand Arcs" of the various classes of the game. Those classes are listed below. There is one Grand Arc that is impossible to cross until a player makes it to Level 30. That is the bridge that leads to the Harbor of the Sea Dragon, and is the gateway to the islands of the game.

Once your character's class is selected, you are given 3 Beginner Status Tasks to do. Once completed, please report to the Great Hall of First City to receive your certification. Are you prepared to enter? Good.

"We welcome you to The Country of Fallen Leaves."

* * *

Rise of the Autumn Moon Character Classifications:

- Artisan: This class is for those who specifically want to become merchants in the game. Artisans range from food-vendors on the streets to the highest class weapon makers. Many are not combat-ready, however that is not to say they are unable to learn the skills. Artisans can obtain their shop 2 weeks after obtaining their classification.

- Healer: The Healer class is mainly comprised of monks and priestesses. There are some players who may choose to learn a healing technique or two, despite its difficulty. The class is split fairly evenly between combat-types and non-combat types. Their certification is granted once completing an additional quest for the Nobleman of First City.

- Hunter: Hunters are a villainized class of players, but not all Hunters are out for human targets. Many are collectors for Artisans or are out to look for special items of the game without getting caught up in any combat that may occur… Though, almost all are combat-ready. They are also known as "Bounty Collectors".

- Multi-Weapon Wielder: A combat-class that requires a balanced player to maintain the status. If the player should pay too much attention to one particular weapon, then their skill with that other weapon could drop drastically. This class isn't very common because of the difficulty, and many will change jobs, so as to avoid the penalty of losing the skills they obtain.

- Nobility: The only class that is completely non-combat in the game, and also very rare as a class. They, alongside the computer-generated players of the game, maintain the order of the country they are stationed in. Unfortunately, many are villainized, just as the Hunter class is due to their "powerful status". The Nobility Class has the "right" to make a player take on any mission within their level of power. This class also enjoys to travel, and must do so to keep ties to the other countries. They hire the other players as escorts, and it is difficult to say no to the Nobility class due to the huge amounts of money they pay compared to normal jobs.

- Power Fighter: Another combat-class, the members of this group fight hand to hand or with bladeless-weapons. As the name suggests, they rely on their strength and skill to get them through the game. Their abilities once at higher levels include being able to obtain super-skills, something that only 3 other classes can do.

- Stealth Fighter: This class of player is half combat-ready, and half not. Though they are listed as fighters, they do not necessarily have to fight. Many are brought into teams as a way to escape a too-dangerous situation. Most players would not try and become of this class, but their skills are unmatched when it comes to their super-skills that can be obtained later in the game.

- Summoner: The closest thing to a "magic-user" in this game, the Summoners are also called "Tamers" or "Beast Masters". This class of players is listed as a technical combat-class, but like the stealth fighter, it is not necessarily true. Techniques of summoning range from talismans to staffs, and their super-skills are truly something worthy of being called one of the game's most sought-after skills. This class must complete 2 additional quests before obtaining their true classification from the Temple of Mana, outside of First City.

- Sword Wielder: The final combat-class of the game, this is what the reviews have called "A new class of Samurai for the modern gamer." This class also has one of the largest varieties of skills to learn, as well as being one of the harder classifications to obtain. Players who obtain this class are given their first weapon as a gift from the First City's Nobleman, an avid collector of swords.

* * *

Name: Akemi Ryugazaki

Rise of the Autumn Moon User: Akemi

Appearance (In-Game): Black, silky hair that comes to her lower-back, bangs parted to cover part of her left eye. Lavender eyes, fair skin, and maintaining a well-endowed figure while not being too show-offish. Wears a black kimono-like outfit with dark red trim, designed with chrysanthemums and some linear patterns that resemble smoke or clouds in a way. Sleeve on the right side is worn off-shoulder, exposing bandages wrapped over what looks like a fox-face tattoo. Her socks come up to a little above her knees, the ties on the socks the same red as her kimono trim, and the geta she wears being black lacquer with that same color red for the straps. She wears a red sakura-pin in her hair on special occasions.

Classification: Summoner


	16. Level Fourteen - Quarrel

**Level Fourteen: Quarrel**

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: January 30__th__ – 4pm_

"Today's the day." The newscaster on the television stated. "The day that the game-makers of Rise of the Autumn Moon open up the official public server that allows players to enter the game without the restrictions of the test-run version they released with the software on the 18th of this month! Today, the official public server is online and everyone's wondering how the game is! But aside from that, everyone's also keeping a watchful eye on the players, after the incident with Ryuuko that played out for over two years has finally come to-" Click. The t.v. was turned off, a man with a slightly disturbing grin sat in his dark little room.

"Today is the day…" he laughed. "Isn't that the truth…" he stood up and went to his computer. "Now… I can finally find you…" he mumbled, staring at the screensaver on his desktop. "I can finally see you again…" he whispered, running his fingers across the screen, over the jaw line of the person he wanted to see.

* * *

Kazuto sighed, looking at his Amusphere. He looked over at the computer, then back at the device again, placing it on after another minute of silence. He hadn't seen Akemi in a while, and today they planned on meeting in the Rise of the Autumn Moon VMMORPG. He lay down on his bed, staring at his ceiling before initiating the Full Dive.

* * *

_Country of Fallen Leaves: First City_

Kirito, sporting his beginner uniform, arrived in First City's town square. He was dressed in black, glancing around as he began walking to see if he noticed anyone familiar. "Kirito-kun!" He turned his head to see a girl with orangey hair, a girl with pink hair, and a girl with brown hair.

"Asuna." He said, waiting for them. "Glad to see you made it."

"Of course." Asuna smiled cheerfully. "Have you seen Akemi or the others yet?" she asked, the girl with brown hair tied in pigtails looked nervous, the girl with pink hair eyeing Kirito from behind her friend a little. "I bet you miss her." She stated, making Kirito blush. He tried to put on a cool façade, not wanting to show her that she'd been right.

"Sh-shut up…" he mumbled, seeing Asuna grin before feeling a pair of hands around his waist and someone standing behind him, practically pressed right up against him. The girl with brown hair blushed and turned away, the one with pink hair making a face before turning her head a little too.

"Does that mean I don't get a hug, Kirito?" His face colored more as he turned his head, blushing as he felt a pair of lips on his forehead. "I really missed you… I was hoping you felt the same…" she chuckled, those familiar lavender orbs staring right into his soul. "But if you don't…"

"Akemi." He hugged her back, blushing. "D-don't look at me like that…" he stated simply, obviously glad to see her, despite his embarrassment about the whole "reunion" thing that was happening. "Of course I missed you…" he added, feeling her pull him just a little bit closer. Then, someone cleared their throat.

"I hate to interrupt." Asuna said, making both of them let go and blush even more. "Can I introduce my friends?" she asked, still grinning at the pair, knowing their lovey dovey behavior had been on hold for a while, since she went to school with Kazuto.

"R-right, sorry." Akemi rubbed the back of her neck. "My bad, Asuna…" her black hair fell over her eye and she tried to hide her blush from the younger girls. The girl with brown hair looked fascinated as she stared at Akemi, catching herself before trying to pretend like she hadn't been staring.

"No problem." She replied, turning to the girl with pink hair first, who stepped forward and offered her hand in a friendly gesture, despite the cold look in her eyes.

"I'm Lisbeth. Nice to meet you. I'm planning on being a sword-smith from the Artisan class." She stated, shaking both of their hands. Kirito introduced his name and class, Akemi just giving her name and wishing Lisbeth luck in her profession choice. As that happened, Asuna had the other girl step forward too.

"I-I'm Silica. It's nice to meet you both." She bowed before shaking their hands as well. Akemi smiled a little more. "I-is something wrong…?" she asked nervously.

"Not at all. You're planning on being a summoner class." She stated, making Silica jump for a moment. "Don't worry, I can see your summoner emblem." She stated, pointing to Silica's hand that was bandaged up like Akemi's shoulder. "You're planning on specializing in imp-types and fairy-types for healing and navigation."

"Y-yes, I am." She stated, looking at Akemi's bandaged shoulder, almost like she was trying to analyze the tattoo that was hidden under the bandages, a tactic to be able to size up opponents in battle."Uum…." she looked a little confused.

"It's alright." Akemi chuckled. "I'm planning on a battle-classification, and if I'm able to get it I want a partial fairy-type classification for healing." Silica nodded, looking like she wanted to learn more from this new found friend.

"How do you know so much about this already?" Kirito asked, cutting into the conversation, even with girls he got jealous of Akemi not having her attention on him, even if less than with boys.

"Haha, I told you I was studying. I wasn't lying." She said to him. He made a face at her, making her tilt her head. "Why the face, Kirito?"

"I thought you were busy with school stuff… you were just studying the game?" he asked, making her smile a little more, hugging onto him as he kept making that face that she adored so much. "That's not nice… You owe me a date." He mumbled.

"Yes yes, when we get back to the real world, I'll take you on a date." She pet his head.

"What? No. I'm taking you on a date." He stated, Silica giggling at how they interacted with each other. "What's so funny?" he asked, still red-faced.

"It's just funny." She stated. "I've never seen a boy have to argue with a girl about who would pay for the date." She added, Asuna patting her shorter friend's shoulder.

"They're like this all the time IRL. Akemi refuses to let him pay for anything but dessert." She stated. "Always telling him that she's the older one, and she wants to be responsible for paying. But he's always saying that she can't because he'd be a bad boyfriend if he let her pay for everything."

"Aww that's cute." Silica said cheerfully, Lisbeth just watching them. The conversation carried on for a while, ending up with Akemi claiming victory after whispering something that made Kirito go from the confident boy he normally was to an overheated blushing mess.

"Hey now, don't kill your boyfriend with weird comments." They turned to see some familiar faces. "Long time no see." The first one grinned, waving his hand. The other two just stood there.

"Versais! Mabashi!" Akemi went over to greet them, looking cheerful. Kirito was just glad he wasn't the only boy anymore. "Who's your friend…?"

"Hey, you don't recognize me?" he asked, mumbling a little. Akemi's eyes went wide, staring up at the person. He stared back for a minute before Akemi spoke.

"Aya?" Kirito's eyes widened a little as he looked at the person. "You look so different! You look older!" she said cheerfully, her cousin making a face at her and pinching her cheek. "Owwwww." She complained, jabbing at his arm with her finger. "Let goooooo."

"Stop calling me Aya." He mumbled, glaring at her. He looked up at Kirito and let go of his cousin's cheek. "… You're planning on being a swordsman, then?" he asked, obviously still bothered by the fact that his cousin was dating a younger man.

"That's right." He responded, everyone wondering what was going on with these two. "You too, then?" he asked, earning a nod from the boy. "Good. I know I'll have a rival, then."

"Hey, what am I?" Mabashi asked, mumbling disdainfully. "You're not going to get ahead like you did in Ryuuko, kid." The three got into a little argument of sorts, Versais staying out of it since he was planning on being a power-fighter or a multi-weapon wielder.

"Wow… you've got a real following, there." Lisbeth stated. "But why are those two fighting over you? You have a boyfriend." She said, quirking an eyebrow at Akemi, who was still smiling.

"Haha, well… Mabashi's kind of always been a competitor… He doesn't like losing." She stated. "I think he's just trying to make sure Kirito keeps up a good standard… he's more like a brother than anything." She chuckled. "And as for Aya… well… he's just super protective… like… a wolf!"

"I heard that!" Aya shouted to her, making her duck behind Asuna a little.

"Are you two related?" Silica asked her. She nodded, smiling still. "Siblings?"

"No, cousins." She replied as the boys went back about their argument. "Aya's always been protective of me… ever since we were kids, he's been like that." Akemi watched as Versais went to break up the fight. "Let boys work out their fights. That's what my granny used to tell me. If you don't, they feel the need to compete more, because of their pride."

"Pride, huh?" Lisbeth just watched the fight come to a close for the moment as the boys walked over. Mabashi and Kirito stayed more than an arm's length apart, Aya keeping an eye on them both.

"Is everyone okay to go ahead to the hall, then?" Asuna asked, the boys all mumbling their responses, Versais still smiling and nodding cheerfully. "Good, let's head out!" she stated, the girls all walking ahead except for Akemi.

"You guys go ahead." She said, motioning for the boys to go ahead, taking Kirito's hand. Aya glared at the boy as he was practically forced to walk ahead with Mabashi and Versais. Once they left, Akemi sighed. "Goodness, that was something I didn't expect…"

"I didn't know he played video games." Kirito stated, now calmed down from his argument. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Because. Aya's a solo player most of the time… he doesn't like others knowing." She said, looking at the group that was still walking before turning back to Kirito. "I taught him about video games, but he never likes to play on my team…" she shrugged. "He's always been kind of hard-headed… uncle said it's because our family's first born kids are always super stubborn."

"Like you?" she looked down at him and chuckled, hugging him again. "You won't let me kiss you a lot…" he mumbled. "And you don't let me pay for dates…" he just stood there as she hugged him, obviously enjoying her embrace. "And you don't like to rely on others…"

"I rely on you." She said, making his face tint with blush again. "And we kiss plenty." She pet his head, turning towards the hall and heading to it, hand in hand with her partner. "We can always go farther in his game." She turned to him, that smile getting Kirito's heart racing again, like it always did. "You read the article about it in the magazine, right?" he just focused on the ground, not wanting to talk about it in public.

"N-now I get why your brother was trying to say something at the hospital…" he mumbled, embarrassed that the subject had come up. "You didn't tell me this game had THOSE kinds of features…" he mumbled. She stopped and turned to him again. "Wh-what?"

"You don't want to?" she asked, making his face turn even redder than earlier. "Or you would rather our first time be IRL?" she questioned, making him put a hand up to cover his face, trying to get his blush to subside. "… should I let you think about it?"

"I-i-I don't want to talk about it in public." He stated. "B-besides I can't use those features…" he added, cheeks even redder as he brought it up. "I-I'm not 18…" Akemi just listened as he went on. "A-and doing it IRL would cause problems… W-we can't…" he added, trying to calm down.

"… we don't have to do it right away." She stated, making him look up at her. She looked a little put off. "I didn't mean we had to rush things… I didn't mean to make you think all I wanted when we agreed to play this game was to do stuff like that, Kirito…" she added, dropping his hand and stepping back a little, sounding hurt.

"A-akemi…"

"It's fine." She said, turning back towards the hall. "C-c'mon they're waiting for us…" she said, Kirito following her and trying to talk to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. When they arrived, Versais and the others seemed to notice something wrong, Mabashi and Ayaori both looking at Kirito before going to talk to Akemi, only to have her walk past them. "Silica-san. Come on." She stated. "We have to go talk to the Summoner Classification Leader before we can get our quests."

"R-right!" the girl chased after the black-haired woman, Asuna looking worried.

"Kirito, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing." He mumbled, heading to the Swordsman Classification line, Mabashi and Ayaori following, but not saying something. They'd never seen Kirito looking so down, and if they made it worse, Akemi was sure to give them hell to pay later on. Asuna sighed, Lisbeth having already gone off to the Artisan Classification line.

"What do you think happened?" Asuna asked Versais as they headed to the Multi-weapon Wielder line. "They both seemed really bothered…" Versais shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno… but I'd guess it had something to do with the special features of the game… y'know, the age restricted ones…" he said. Asuna's eyes went wide, cheeks tinting pink.

"Y-you think they got into an argument over that?" she asked. "Did Kirito push too far? Or did Akemi say something?" she asked, looking worried. "E-either way, they've never argued over anything that serious."

"But maybe they just need to work it out." Versais stated. "I mean, this is a real test for them… for their relationship, right?" he asked, putting his hands behind his head. "Akemi's older. Kirito's still under age. This is probably the hardest thing either one's ever going to deal with, in terms of their relationship… I've seen stuff like this make or break romances that everyone said were perfect." He sighed. "I just hope they can deal with being partners… once their classifications are done, I'm sure they want to be a couple like they did in Ryuuko… or at very least travel together."

"I just hope they get this fixed soon…" Asuna sighed. "Kirito wanted to ask Akemi to spend a weekend with him some time later this year… I think he was planning on Golden Week too…" she sighed. "He's been worrying about it for a long time… if this lasts too long, he won't be able to get her to go with him…"

"Whoa, he was planning that already?" Versais asked. "Man… gotta help them out." He said, sounding determined. "Neither one will know what to say… they might be super awkward…" he mumbled. "What should we do?"

"Nothing." They both turned to see Silica and Akemi standing there.

"Y-you two are done already?" Asuna asked.

"Our line was short… there's so much extra to do, that most people didn't want to be in the classification." Akemi stated, staring at the two. "As for what you do about myself and Kirito, you do nothing." She stated.

"H-how much did you hear?" Asuna asked, hoping she didn't blow Kirito's surprise.

"I heard Versais saying he had to help, and everything after." She stated simply. "You don't need to do a thing." She stated. "Versais. I expect that you can keep both Aya and Mabashi out of my way?"

"Y-yes." He said, Silica seeming a little scared of Akemi for the moment.

"Good." She stated. "Silica. You should just wait for the others." She added, the girl nodding as Akemi headed off somewhere. The group kept watching, noticing Kirito walk back from his line and follow her.

"I didn't know she was so bothered by anyone else interfering." Versais mumbled.

"She isn't." Silica stated. "She… was mumbling about how to make amends with Kirito while we were in line… She just wants to make it better… she doesn't want help because she thinks she's at fault…" she stated, Asuna sighing a little.

"I guess… she's worried that if someone else steps in, it'll only get more complicated. She wants to fix things between them, but if it doesn't work out she'll be unable to blame him…" the girl mumbled. "She loves him too much to blame him for anything…"

"They're such a good couple…" Silica said. "I really hope they can get everything sorted out…" Versais nodded in agreement.

"Anyway." He sighed. "The air's way too tense." He stretched. "We should just wish them both luck, and let them work it out. We can worry about it if we don't hear from them for a long time." He said. Asuna and Silica didn't look convinced, but both nodded, knowing that was the best option.

* * *

_Mountain Trail: Forest of Bamboo_

Kirito had followed Akemi all the way from the Great Hall, assuming her task was in the area as well. He was supposed to be searching for a rare stone called the "Chrysanthia", but his mind was always moving right back to Akemi. He stopped walking, sitting down next to a small stream and looking into the water. He picked up a stone and skipped it across the water, feeling like he might be sick. "I didn't mean it that way…"

"But you said it." He whipped around, but he saw no one. That was a voice he didn't know. He stood up, grabbing a piece of bamboo and glancing around. "You made her cry…" he turned to the river this time, seeing an image of Akemi sitting somewhere in the middle of the bamboo, crying. "You don't deserve to love her, if you make her suffer like this…"

"I didn't mean to!"

* * *

Akemi had never felt so weak. She sat there, tears falling as she tried to pull herself together. "Damn it, Akemi… stop crying…" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "This is no time for these tears…" she managed to stand up, trying to keep calm. She heard someone yelling, turning towards the direction of the river and following the voice. She arrived at the river and saw Kirito on his knees, a cloaked figure standing over him.

"I didn't mean to!" Kirito yelled, tears in the corners of his eyes. He was holding back tears. Akemi turned to the figure, who didn't notice her yet. "Akemi, I'm sorry… I'm sorry …"

"Kirito, it's okay." She stated, her hand balled up in a fist, the figure looking shocked and perhaps frightened at her sudden appearance. "Kirito…" she walked over to him as the figure backed away. "I'm sorry I got upset at you…" she managed a smile. "So… please… don't be upset…"

"…" he looked up at her, as if just noticing her presence. "A-akemi?"

"Damn…" the cloaked figure mumbled, a little snake-like creature appearing on his shoulder. He vanished into thin air, leaving the pair alone. Kirito looked confused, rubbing his eyes to find tears.

"Wh-what's going on?" he asked, looking around. He felt arms around his shoulders and looked up to see Akemi, suddenly feeling his heart racing again. "A-akemi…?"

"Kirito…" she held him close, making him blush even more. "I'm never letting you go… never…" she mumbled, making him sigh a little.

"… I'm sorry about earlier-" he felt her lips against his and he stopped talking immediately, returning her kiss with no hesitation. "I-I didn't mean to-" she kissed him again after the short break. "Akemi…"

"Stop talking…" she mumbled, leaning her forehead against his. "I'm the one who needs to apologize… I got too emotional…" she sighed shakily. "I… I just want to stay at your side…" she said, blushing more. "… I want to stay with you until we fall asleep tonight…"

"… okay." He mumbled, leaning in to kiss her a little more. "So long as… I pay for the next date…" he smiled a little, Akemi laughing a little bit. "Deal?"

"… Deal." She said, smiling at him as they kissed again, the sun already beginning to set. "Shall we head back? We can go on our quests tomorrow…" He nodded, leaning against her a little more. They both stood up, Akemi taking Kirito's hand as they headed back towards First City together to find a place to leave off for the night.

"So… what was that guy in the cloak?"

"I wish I knew." Akemi replied, pulling him to her side. "But… whoever he was… he's a summoner already… meaning he's probably either a hacker, or he was an in-house beta…" she stated. "I just wish I knew what kind of summoner he was… it looked like he was using something to keep you in a sort of hypnotized state with his beast… to keep you from completing your quest."

"… but why me?"

"I dunno…" she tousled his hair, smiling a little. "Maybe he's some creepy old guy looking for an innocent little shota-boy as a pet." She said, hugging him tight before they reached the city. "But you're mine, so he can't have you." She giggled, making him blush again.

"H-hey, I'm not a pet…" he mumbled, feeling her backing him up a little.

"No, but you're innocent." She said, leaning him back against a large grouping of bamboo. "And I love you very, very much…" she kissed him again, letting him wrap his arms around the back of her neck. "I'm never giving you up to anyone…" she rubbed his back in a comforting manner, earning a satisfied sigh from Kirito. "Hm… you know, I think you're kind of like a cat… you attract people to you, and you practically purr when I rub your back like this…" she said, making him look up quizzically at her.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "Maybe I want to see you in cat ears." She teased, kissing him a little more lightly across his face. He managed to not make too much noise as she kept up her onslaught of affection. "Or… maybe I have a thing for boys with shota-sex appeal."

"O-oi, don't talk like that." He said, face turning even redder as she laughed, hugging him again. "You sound like a pervert…"

"How do you know I'm not one?" she asked, letting him move away from the bamboo. "The night before we escaped Ryuuko was nothing compared to what I really wanted from you…" she smirked. "But since we were heading into battle, I didn't want to overwhelm you." She shrugged as she headed back towards town, Kirito biting his lip a little before following her, taking her hand as they entered town.

"W-well… the next time I have dinner at your apartment… I want you to show me…" he stated, cheeks still bright red. "Even if we don't go all the way… I… I want to know what you wanted that night…" he stated adamantly.

"Sure. If you think you can handle it." The pair just headed to their lodging before logging off, leaving their characters in bed together so they could enter the game waking up next to each other, like they did before.

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: _

The man in the dark little room looked bothered, pacing back and forth in front of his computer. "They were fighting… why did she come to his rescue?" he asked himself, looking bothered. "… no matter… I will have my prize soon… the fool who keeps my prize from me will be destroyed…" he laughed to himself, thinking about things as he walked towards the kitchen, hearing a tea kettle boiling.

* * *

((So... New villain ; u ; He's kinda creepy... But, who do you think he is? And who is his prize?

This chapter... I kinda rolled with it... ended up being almost 2 pages longer than normal ; u ; I hope you liked it

Also, I'm looking forward to reviews... and I hope to post again next week or the week after... but school's just so busy... So I hope you all look forward to my next chapter, whenever it comes out ; u ;

-Winter Cheshire))


	17. Level Fifteen - Tears

**Level Fifteen: Tears**

* * *

_Country of Fallen Leaves: Lodging in First City – February 13__th__, 2025_

Akemi opened her eyes, seeing Kirito already "awake" and staring at her. "Morning." He whispered, kissing her forehead. "How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept well." She replied simply, smiling as he kissed her forehead a second and third time. "Somehow, I feel like you're angling for more affection…" she pulled him closer, tucking his head under her chin. "… I miss waking up to you like this every morning…"

"I do too." He sighed, letting her hold him. It wasn't like it used to be in Ryuuko… he would wake up in his room alone and have to get ready for school… He had to call or message Akemi to see her, and usually she had work to do for school or for her aunt and uncle. "Is it too late to ask you to be my tutor?" he questioned, nuzzling against her neck. "And maybe sometimes… for us to sleep at your apartment together…?"

"Kazuto." She sighed, hugging him tighter. "If it were so easy, I would have asked…" she rubbed his back a little. "…" she chuckled more, making him look up at her. "When did you take off your shirt?" she asked, grinning a little. "You were hoping for something more than a good morning kiss?"

"Wh-wha-?! N-no I wasn't!" he exclaimed, panicking as she pulled him closer. He noticed a small panel open up in his line of vision, seeing the option to either accept of decline the 18+ option, despite his not being 18 years old yet. But before he could do anything, the panel vanished and he heard Akemi sigh.

"Sorry." She mumbled. "… I'm being pushy, aren't I?"

"It's not a big deal…" he replied, cheeks bright red. "…I don't want to rush, but… I won't say no if you want us to." He added, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I want us to be together as much as possible… but I know you're busy… and I also know you're already dealing with a lot of stuff so I don't want to just impose on you or anything…"

"You? Impose on me?" she chuckled. "Aww… you're still too adorable for words." She said, kissing the top of his head. "Well… it's been 2 weeks since we entered the game… and we're both done with our starter quests and our first missions…" she said, letting go enough to lay him on his back and lean over him a little. "Shall we go out on a date?"

"E-eh?" he looked up at her, face red. "I-in game?"

"Is that bad? You're busy with school, and I am too, so IRL its difficult to find the time… at least here we can spend our time together…" she whispered, squeezing his hand. "… I… kind of miss being stuck in Ryuuko… at least then we didn't have to worry about things like school…" she mumbled, looking a little bothered with the concept of leaving him to have to do things for school. "I don't like being apart…"

"… neither do I…" he smiled up at her. "But… it makes our time together mean more…" he pulled her down closer, kissing her cheek. "So… let's enjoy it… What shall we do on our date today?"

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: February 13__th__, 2025 – 8pm_

Akemi sat up and removed her Amusphere. Even after a whole day on Rise of the Autumn Moon with Kazuto, she was bothered. She glanced at her phone and noticed 4 missed calls. "…" she stood up and checked to see who they were from, immediately looking angry and tossing her phone onto her desk.

"Nee-san?" Makoto opened the door. "What was that noise?"

"Nothing, Makoto." She smiled, walking over and leading her brother to the kitchen. "Come on, I'll cook you some sukiyaki." Makoto nodded, glancing back into her room before she closed the door, seeing her phone on the desk.

"… did HE call again?" he asked, seeing his sister tense almost instantly.

"… Yeah." She mumbled, stopping at the fridge and grabbing a cup for water. "He keeps leaving messages… I'm sick of reading them…"

"Can't you just get a new phone?" he asked. She shook her head, sighing. "… can't I do something to help?" he questioned, causing her to look at him. "… I don't want you to deal with it alone."

"Makoto… sweetie…" she smiled weakly. "I'm not alone… you're on my side…" she tousled his hair. "Now, come on." She got out the ingredients for the meal. "Help me out."

* * *

Elsewhere, there was a man wandering the streets. He was waiting… watching… but tonight, the person he wanted to see did not walk by the place he waited. He mumbled to himself now, sounding like a jealous lover who'd been left out in the cold or something. He just kept mumbling about these things as he headed home to brew himself some tea and make his dinner. "Just you wait…" he muttered under his breath. "I'll come for you soon…"

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: February 14__th__, 2025_

Kazuto was walking out of the school building, having been offered chocolates and whatnot from girls who didn't know he was dating. He turned them all down, only wanting to see one girl today. He walked with Makoto, who was in his last class, over to the gate to see a familiar figure standing there. She swayed to soft electronica music in the air, coming off of her headphones. She was wearing a pair of red glasses, a white collared shirt and a black skirt, a loosened red tie around her neck and an unbuttoned black blazer over her arm. Her shoes and socks were black, and her lavender eyes locked with his once she looked up. "Akemi…?" he went over to her, Makoto hanging back to give them some space. "Akemi, what are you doing here…?" he noticed some people watching, noticing a few girls who he had turned down earlier.

"Hey." She pulled off her headphones and pulled him into a hug, making him blush. He felt her put something in his hand and looked at it, seeing a small box of wrapped chocolates. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kazuto." She said softly, kissing his cheek. "I missed you…"

"I-it hasn't been that long." He mumbled. "… you came all the way here to give me these?" he questioned, looking up at her as she let up on her hug. "Akemi, you didn't have to…"

"I wanted to." She stated, petting his head. "Besides." She chuckled. "You're too vulnerable. What if some crazy stalker caught you walking home alone?" she pouted, making him laugh. "I'm just saying…" she mumbled.

"You watch too many crime-dramas." Makoto sighed at his sister, walking closer to the pair. "Besides… Kazuto can take care of himself."

"Awww, Makotoooo." She complained. "You're ruining my fun… I was hoping that would make him want to spend the night." Makoto just rolled his eyes at his sister. "Booo, Makoto's a meanie." She hugged her brother, but it was obviously very different than her hug with Kazuto. "Give me hugs, then I'll forgive you."

"No." he replied simply, slipping out of her grip.

"Makotooooo, come back." She said, taking Kazuto's hand so he could keep up before chasing after her fast-moving brother. "Makotoooooo." Kazuto just smiled, knowing by now that Akemi and Makoto were always behaving like this to one another. He thought on her words and blushed, realizing that he didn't have to head home today. He could stay with her all night, thanks to Makoto being his study partner. His parents had even given permission, having met Akemi a few days before at the market place by chance. But he's also learned something he didn't know much about before. Akemi's father travelled a lot for work, so he was never home and Akemi had become the one responsible for buying groceries and whatnot for Makoto and herself. She'd also been paying for everything that wasn't hospital related by herself, including the rent on her apartment.

"… Akemi…"

"Yes?" she asked, Makoto waiting for them on the street corner as they walked.

"… about your father…" he felt her hand tighten around his. "… Do you not like him?" he questioned, looking up at her. Her eyes were sad, and she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I… don't really know anymore… I haven't spoken to him in a long time…" she stated softly. Something was really bothering her, but Kazuto didn't want to press too far. He just squeezed her hand back before pulling her a little faster towards her brother. "… Kazuto?"

"Don't be sad…" he said to her. "… we get to be together tonight." He said with a smile. "That's good, isn't it?" she just stared for a minute before smiling and nodding. "So, let's go."

"Quit being so lovey-dovey around me." Makoto said as they met him on the corner. "It's weird…" The three continued to the grocery store, and then back to Akemi's and Makoto's apartment after they'd bought what they needed. Akemi still seemed bothered, but Makoto told Kazuto as she put the food away that she was just in a bad mood recently; family issues. Kazuto didn't press further.

* * *

That night, after all the studying and work was complete, Makoto had gone to bed early since he was feeling sleepy. Akemi was sitting on the couch with her laptop, working on something for one of her classes as Kazuto sat next to her, leaning on her shoulder. "Thank you for dinner… it was good…" he said softly, glancing up at her. She paused in her work and turned to him with a small smile.

"I'm glad…" she pet his head before going back to her work. "It's not often I get to cook for you, so I want to make the most of it." She stated. He nodded, wondering what exactly she was typing and glanced over her shoulder to try and read it, only to have her close the laptop. "Are you spying on me?" she asked, chuckling and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I still have to show you, right? What I wanted that night in Ryuuko." Kazuto felt his face get as red as possible, feeling one of her hands move under his shirt to tug at the waist of his pants.

"A-akemi…" he managed to say, letting her push him onto his back before she got on top of him, straddling him. "D-don't… w-we're still… Wh-what if Makoto wakes up…?"

"Aww, you're so cute." She chuckled. "But you wanted to know…" she leaned over and kissed his cheek, moving back to his ear and nuzzling him. "I wanted to make you feel good, Kazuto." He felt her hand that had been on his pants slide under his shirt, pushing it up a little. "Is that so wrong?" He shook his head, gasping when he felt her kissing his neck.

"A-akemi wait-" The girl stopped and removed her hand as there was a sound at the door. She got off of Kazuto, who sat up, still red in the face as the front door opened. A man in a suit walked in, seeing Akemi and staring at her before turning to see Kazuto.

"Who's this?" his voice was deep and he seemed very stoic, his expression almost reaching a point of annoyance. "He looks too young for you. Is he a tutoring student?"

"You shouldn't be home." She stated, glaring at the man in a way that almost frightened Kazuto. He'd almost never seen her so angry. "You had business, didn't you? Or did one of those annoying kiss-ups at Makoto's school tell you some outrageous made up story?"

"That is no way to talk to your father, Akemi." He replied. "Especially not in front of a guest. And besides, I called you plenty of times."

"Oh, so NOW you want to play the fatherly role?" she hissed at him. Makoto came out of his room, looking shocked as he emerged from the hall. "Makoto, go back to your room."

"B-but Akemi-nee-"

"Go." She turned to him, looking like she was holding back a lot of anger towards the man who had walked in, as well as concern for her little brother. "And take Kazuto with you."

"R-right…" he mumbled, helping Kazuto to get his things and head into his room. As soon as the door closed, Makoto turned up the music, barely drowning out the argument going on in the main room. Kazuto looked to Makoto for an answer. "… Otou-san and Akemi-nee haven't been on good terms for a long time…" he stated to his classmate, sitting down on his bed. "When I was admitted to the hospital the first time, Otou-san came home and stayed for a week… but…" he sighed. "He kept spending less and less time whenever it happened… I was pretty sickly as a kid…" he looked over at Kazuto. "Once he stopped coming all together, Akemi-nee had lost her patience with him… that was the first time she yelled at him… He called to tell Akemi-nee to make sure to get my school work from the teachers… and she just started screaming at him. "How can you call yourself his father?" and "Unless you're going to be a good parent, then just stay away!"… Stuff like that." He recounted.

"He… never came to visit you after that?"

"Nope… and when Akemi-nee was put in the hospital, he said he was too busy to come back… I never told her, but I guess a nurse or someone told her no one came to visit while she was unconscious." Makoto replied, hearing them still arguing. "… Akemi-nee doesn't want him to keep coming back if he won't stay… but she doesn't hate him. She just… wants a family that will be stable, is all… that's why we go to Aunty's all the time."

"Because they're always taking care of you guys." He looked to the door and sighed. He wanted to go out there and calm Akemi down, but… her father was kind of scary. "Why doesn't he visit, though…?"

"… I dunno… Guess its cause Okaa-sama died." He mumbled. "He doesn't want to be reminded of her… He loved her a lot, but…" he shook his head. "When she died, he was in a bad way… he took down all the pictures of her and he drowned himself in work… Akemi-nee didn't know what to do or how to help…" he heard the front door close and he turned the music down, going quickly with Kazuto back to the main room. Akemi was sitting against the door, looking like she was crying as she hid her face in her hand. "A-akemi-nee…"

"Akemi." Both boys sat down next to her, but Akemi just shook her head, mumbling that she "couldn't stand" her father and that he should just stay away forever as her tears fell to the floor. Kazuto hugged her and tried to comfort her as Makoto rubbed her back. Neither boy really knew what to do to help her calm down.

* * *

_Ryugazaki Apartment – February 15, 2025_

Kazuto awoke the next morning, looking up to see Akemi sitting next to him. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, realizing he was in her bed. "Akemi…?"

"Sorry… I didn't mean to ruin last night." She turned to him with a small smile, but her eyes were all puffy. She'd kept crying even after he'd passed out last night. She leaned over and nuzzled his cheek, giving him a quick hug before getting up. "I'll go make breakfast."

"Wait." He pulled her back and into a hug, making her eyes go wide in surprise. "… I… I love you, Akemi…" he mumbled, nuzzling against her back as he wrapped his arms around her tighter. "S-so… W-we can pick up what we started later…" She chuckled and turned to him, hugging him in return. She was holding him really close and really tight… he leaned his head against her shoulder and breathed in deeply. "Are you okay?"

"I will be…" she responded, rubbing his back before she let go. "Now, come on. You have school."

The pair walked into the kitchen seeing Makoto standing at the fridge and looking shocked. "What's up?" Kazuto asked him, making the boy turn to them.

"Akemi-nee did you even sleep last night?" he asked her with concern. Kazuto peeked into the fridge to see a ridiculous amount of food for bentou, eyes widening.

"Mmmm, not really." She chuckled at him. "Bring it out, I've gotta pack it." She stated, having already heated up some foods and packed them into the boxes on the table. Both boys stared as Akemi was packing their boxes, turning to each other, then back to her again. "Don't just stand there you two." She chuckled. "Eat your breakfast." She motioned to the plates that were on the table next to the boxes.

"A-akemi-" Kazuto began, only to be cut off with a kiss from his girlfriend, making his cheeks burn bright red.

"No complaints. Now eat." She chuckled, going to finish her handiwork. Makoto sat down first, looking concerned, but knowing better than to question her when she'd seen her father the night before. Kazuto soon followed and sat down to eat with his classmate as Akemi cleaned up and tied up the lunches.

* * *

_Kawagoe High School – February 15, 2025_

Kazuto and Makoto sat down to eat their lunches, joined by Asuna and a few others. They opened their lunches as their friends stared at them. "Wh-what?"

"Did Akemi-san make those?" Asuna asked, looking impressed. "I can't lose to her! My cooking skills will be superior!" she exclaimed, making the others laugh. As they were about to begin eating, Makoto stopped and stared across the way making the others look as well. "Is that…?"

"Makoto! Kazuto! Asuna!" There was Akemi with some other people as well as Ayaori.

"A-akemi-nee?!"

"Aww that's no way to greet your sister who's bringing you desserts." She pouted at Makoto and poked at his cheek as she sat next to him. "Don't make that face."

"Wh-why are you here anyway?"

"Our teacher cancelled class." One of two twins stated.

"And we decided to come visit, since Akemi was coming too." The other twin grinned. Kazuto stared for a moment.

"Cecile-san…?"

"That's me." The girl chuckled. "This is my brother. He isn't much of a gamer as he is an artist." He pat him on the back. "Cecil-nii, say hi."

"Nice to meet you, Kazuto-kun." He smiled. "Take good care of Akemi, kay? She's a real sweetheart, she is." Akemi pouted and went to pull on Cecil's cheek, making him laugh at her. "Awww, get off I'm sorry, don't pull- agh!"

"No. Making. Fun. Of. Me." She stated, pulling his cheeks, making Cecile laugh.

"I'm sowwy I'm sowwy!" he managed as she pulled harder.

"Hey you two, cool it. No sibling love needed here." An energetic girl laughed. "Or you'll make Kazuto-kun jealous." Akemi immediately let go and pouted at the girl.

"Suzukaaaa." She complained, making the girl grin wider. Akemi just went to sit with Kazuto and pouted at her friends, Kazuto looking across the group, then to Akemi. "…?"

"I'm glad to see you, but… when did you get here?" he asked her. "And why…?"

"I wanted to see you…" she smiled at him. "That's all…" she took his hand, which caused him to blush bright red again. The group settled in and everyone went back to their food as Akemi opened up a box of sandwiches. "There's plenty if anyone wants some."

"Alright, Akemi's sandwiches are great~!" Suzuka cheered; Cecil and Cecile both taking one with a bow of thanks to Akemi. Kazuto looked at Akemi before taking one, eating a small bite.

"… this is amazing…" he scarfed down the rest of his bit in an instant. "Akemi, its so good!"

"I-I'm glad…" Akemi blinked, having never received such praise from him. "I-I can make you more…" Asuna laughed at their cutesy moment along with Cecile and Suzuka, Cecil just grinning at them as Ayaori took a sandwich. It was… nice… being around such good friends…

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture – February 16, 2025_

The man wandered the streets, stopping at the door to a bar and slipping inside. He walked over to a man at the counter and ordered a drink. "You called?" he asked.

"My daughter is dating a younger man, Ishimura…" the man at the bar sighed, his stoic features illuminated by the light. "What do I do? I wasn't around for years… she hates me…" he muttered. "I can't be a good father if I don't know what's going on…"

"Sir, don't worry." Ishimura stated. "I'm sure things will work out… After all, your daughter is a smart one… and this boy is surely just a phase."

"… I don't know… she defended him so strongly when we argued." He sighed. "… I wish there was more I could do."

"Don't worry." Ishimura took the drink and pat the other man's back. "Everything will be fine, Ryugazaki." He sipped his alcohol. "Just give it a little time."

"… I guess…"

* * *

((Finally I got another chapter up. Sorry for taking so long, I came down with a case of the dreaded Writer's Block. ; u ;

I hope you all like it! ; u ; We discover something new about the baddie and delve into Akemi's family troubles!

Look forward to the next chapter please!

-Winter Cheshire))


	18. Level Sixteen - Smile

**Level Sixteen: Smile**

* * *

_Country of Fallen Leaves: Entrance to the Grand Arc of the Earthbound Grotto_

"Akemiiii." Kirito's hand was on her hip.

"Not working." She stated sternly, turning her head away.

"Pleeease?" He nuzzled against her jaw.

"I said no, Kirito." She sighed, blushing as he nuzzled against her. "S-stop that, we're in a public space…" she complained, not wanting to enjoy his affection but finding it hard to deny his advances.

"Mmmm, but I'm hungry…" Kirito sat with Akemi, waiting at the Grand Arc for their party. Akemi had made lunch, but she wouldn't allow Kirito to eat till everyone else arrived, making the boy pout at his girlfriend and attempt to flirt his way into the lunch basket. "C'mon, just one sandwich? You made plenty…" he looked into her eyes and smiled. "I'll pay you back for it later…" He added, leaning closer. Akemi blushed more and sighed, opening the basket and practically shoving the sandwich at him. Rise of the Autumn Moon had a lot of food-related aspects to it, so the flavor sensing feature was huge in this game. Kirito always insisted on being the first to eat anything Akemi made.

"Stop making that face… you're way too tempting." She mumbled to him, trying to remain calm. He just smiled and began to eat. When he finished eating, the others finally arrived.

"Akemi?" Asuna sat next to the older girl. "Why's your face all red?" she turned to Kirito, looking suspicious. "Kirito-kun, did you do something weird?!"

"What?! No!" he exclaimed. "I was hungry! I just asked for some food!"

"I bet he practically molested her for it." Lisbeth stated, taking a sandwich. Ayaori immediately glared at Kirito as Silica began to feed her familiars. "She's not so easily flustered."

"Man, you're one smooth operator." Versais pat Kirito's back. "Making your girl all flustered so easy." He laughed. "I can only imagine that you two are super lovey dovey IRL." Mabashi just sat there and ate, somehow more complacent with the couple's behavior than he had been before. Kirito blushed a little and tried to deny it, but Akemi saw an opportunity and smiled. She wrapped her arms around his waist, making everyone's eyes go wide. Kirito's face went as red as possible as the hands of his girlfriend wrap tight around his torso.

"He's not usually the instigator so it gets me off guard when he does decide to be forward." She said softly, smiling as Kirito was smooshed against her chest. "But he's still soooo cute…" she laughed. Asuna and Versais cheered them on, Mabashi and Lisbeth just made a "God, this again?" face, and Silica and Aya just turned away for one reason or another.

"A-akemi, stop!" he exclaimed, face going even redder as she kissed the top of his head. "Th-this is embarrassing!" But he wasn't fighting her at all. Everyone laughed and went about eating.

* * *

As soon as they were finished, the group set out and entered the Grand Arc. It was rather dark and kind of spooky, the girls sticking close to one another as the boys marched ahead. Except of course… "Oi, Akemi, slow down!" Mabashi called after the girl who was marching onward. But she didn't seem to hear him, moving ahead faster than the others. Kirito wasn't far behind, and he was worried so he went to catch up to her. They were soon too far ahead to see or hear the others of their party.

"Akemi, wait!" Kirito grabbed her wrist and she stopped, turning to him. "Wh-why are you in such a hurry?" he questioned, concerned that something was wrong.

"… Kirito…?" she tilted her head. "What's wrong…? And where is everyone else?" she looked around. "Did we get separated?" Kirito was now very confused. How did she not know what was happening? "… Did… something happen?"

* * *

After a short explanation and being able to find a nice mangrove tree to look out from, the two stopped for the day, sighing. "Man, I was out of it…" she mumbled. "How did I not hear them?" Kirito shrugged. "Well… guess I'll log off for tonight…" but, when she pulled up her screen, she paused. "Ne… Kirito?"

"Yeah?" he turned to her, meeting her lips in a soft kiss. "A-akemi…"

"… I wanna see you… so… can I visit you after I finish my school stuff?" she asked, smiling.

"… Sure…" he nodded. "Um… so I'll log out too then…" he pulled up his screen, feeling her hands on his hips. "A-are you ready to go?"

"Mmmm… I want a hug first… and one more kiss…" she whispered into his ear. "I might not be able to see you out of game for a little while since the professors are piling on the work." She nuzzled him more, making him sigh in content. "I want to see you… I really do…"

"I want to see you too…" he smiled. "… infact, I'll stop by tomorrow, if you want." He blushed a little more. "I-if that's okay, I mean…"

"… I'd love that." She said softly, smiling against his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah…" and with that, they both logged out.

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: March 20__th__, 2025 – 9am_

Kirito walked up the stairs of Akemi's apartment, carrying a box of chocolates he'd been meaning to give her for White Day. But having been unable to see her on the day or since until now, he was intent on getting it to her. He arrived at her floor and wandered to her door to knock. The door opened and there she stood, smiling at him. "Good morning." She let him inside before hugging him, pressing him to her chest. "I missed you…"

"I-I missed you too…" he muttered, enjoying being in her arms again. "I-is anyone else here?"

"Nope. Makoto's with aunty, since he and Aya are working on something." She smiled. "We have the house to ourselves today~"

"E-eeeh…" he blushed, realizing she was wearing a skirt and a sweater, looking very much like a house wife. "A-akemi…"

"Today, I will cook for you~" she said cheerfully. "So, what shall I make you?" He stuck his hand out, the box shaking a little as he did. "Oh…?"

"H-h-happy… Late… Wh-white Day, Akemi…" he muttered.

"Awww… Kazuto, you're adorable." She hugged him instead of taking the box. "Though… I much prefer you to chocolate…" she giggled, kissing his cheek. He almost dropped the box from that comment, stuttering and trying to find words. Her hands were on his hips, she was dangerously close to him, and he already wanted to hold her in his arms and just lay in bed doing nothing.

"A-akemi, I…." he felt her pin him against the door, looking up at her and blushing as he saw her lean in to kiss him, meeting her half way. "A-akemi…"

"… too much?" she asked, looking concerned for a minute. "I'm sorry…"

"D-don't apologize…" he said, not wanting to make her feel bad. "I… I just wasn't expecting to be the one receiving a gift today…" he mumbled. "I-I came to give you chocolates, and you offered to cook for me… I feel like I'm not doing enough…"

"But you are…" she tightened her grip around him a bit. "You're… making me happy…" she smiled. "By holding me… and kissing me like this…" she nuzzled him again. "Kazuto, you being here makes everything bad in the world melt away…"

"I-it does…?"

"Yeah…" she chuckled. "Can… I make you melt away?" without waiting for an answer, she began to be more affectionate, making Kazuto blush even deeper red. But as they were continuing, the phone rang. Akemi sighed, making a face before answering. "Hello?"

"Akemi. Its Asuna."

"Asuna…? What is it?" she asked.

"Are you with Kazuto?"

"Yeah… why?" she looked at Kazuto.

"There's a guy wandering around town and he ran into Lisbeth, asking where Kazuto is… He's creeping everyone out, so don't let him go out alone, kay?" she sounded serious. "The guy's really weird…"

"Right… I'll remember that… thanks for the warning." She said. They said their goodbyes and hung up. "Some creepy guy is wandering around town looking for you." She said, concerned. She pulled him into a hug and plopped down on the couch. "So I will keep you here and protect you."

"Creepy guy…?" Kazuto shivered. "Man, I'm glad he didn't find me then…" He felt her kissing his ear and cheek, trying to turn to his girlfriend and return the favor, but to no avail. "Hey… are you not gonna let me kiss you at all?"

"No." she replied, smiling. "I just want to pay you back for that little gesture from yesterday, is all." She giggled. "You were so mean, doing that to me somewhere we could be seen… but I'm not that kind of girl, you know." She kissed behind his ear, making his face go red. "So, instead, I'll keep you hostage in my apartment and make you melt away out of the prying eyes of the public venue." Kazuto tried to protest, but he felt her grip loosen and she turned him around in her lap to sit facing her. "So… my precious knight…" she giggled. "Are you prepared for my onslaught?"

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: March 20__th__, 2025 – 3pm_

Mr. Ryotaro Ryugazaki walked from meeting to meeting in his office all day, his mind still plagued with his daughter's screams and anger. She never used to be that way. She used to smile all the time. 'When did she change…?'

"Ryugazaki-san." His secretary walked up to him. "Ishimura-san is on the phone for you."

"… Right." He picked it up in his office and sighed. "What is it, Ishimura?"

"I found that file you asked for on Kirigaya, Kazuto-kun." Ishimura replied. "He was a beta-tester of the game, just as your daughter was. He attends school with your son and nephew." Ishimura continued to explain things in a very brief manner. "According to the file, he's also the one who cleared the final obstacle in the game that helped get everyone out."

"… I see…" he mumbled. "Thank you for your help."

"You're very welcome."

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: March 20__th__, 2025 – 3:30pm_

Ishimura sighed, leaning back in his chair after his call to Mr. Ryugazaki, looking at the ceiling with a blank expression. "… So what are you going to do now?" he asked, turning to the man in the corner of the room, who was tacking away on his laptop keyboard. The man looked up with a twisted little grin.

"It's almost time…" he laughed. "I'll get to see him soon, won't I?" he stared at his computer screen, grinning at the image of Kirito he'd gotten on that first day of the public open server. The boy sat there, crying… that expression on his face was priceless for the grinning man. "I finally get my prize…" he laughed, making Ishimura sigh. There was no calming him down once he was like this, so he decided to just let him go on his little rant.

"Anyway… we have to kidnap him, don't we? How do you plan on doing that?"

"Oh, don't you worry… I've got that covered. Just keep that Ryugazaki brat off my tail."

"… got it."

* * *

_Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture: March 20__th__, 2025 – 8pm_

Kazuto sighed, cheeks still red as he sat in Akemi's bath tub. They'd been together all day long, and somehow they had ended up pressing the boundaries of being together to the point that he did think he might actually melt. He tried to shake the thought, but she'd been so good to him, never letting up in her affectionate onslaught. He finished washing up and dried himself off before getting dressed, opening the bathroom door to smell something cooking. He wandered out to the main room and blushed, seeing Akemi making dinner. She was no longer wearing a sweater, but instead she wore a baggy collared shirt that was partially unbuttoned and he couldn't tell if she was wearing anything underneath. She turned to him with a smile, waving him over. "Wh-wh-wh are you…?"

"Did you enjoy your bath?" she asked, kissing his cheek once he was close enough. He nodded, still staring at her as she cooked. "What? You weren't so shy about my dressing like this earlier."

"B-but you're… i-is it okay for you to dress like that?" he questioned, face even redder.

"It's fine." She said, finishing her cooking and turning to hug Kazuto. "Do you want to see my lingerie again?" she asked, giggling. He stood stunned, trying not to have a nose bleed as he remembered what happened earlier. "Or…?"

"D-don't talk like that, you perv…" he muttered, trying to separate them a little when he felt his hand touch something squishy. His face got as red as it could get and he immediately pulled his hand away. "S-sorry!"

"Aww… it's okay." She smiled, nuzzling him again. "I don't mind… Not if it's you."

"S-stop talking like that…" he mumbled, unable to move away again, letting her kiss him as much or as little as she wanted. "Y-you're terrible…"

"I know." She replied cheerfully. "But, that's what you get for being my boyfriend…" she pet his head and hugged him closer. "So… do you have to go home tonight?"

"Wh-what? Wh-why are you asking?" he looked up at her. "D-do you want me to stay…?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want you to stay." She kissed the tip of his nose before squeezing him tight around the waist. "… I want to be able to spend at least one night with you… the way I promised…" He felt the breath catch in his throat, eyes widening even more. Was she really going to do what she promised? Every time before now she had told him that she wasn't sure he was ready. But today it was like a switch had been flipped and she wasn't so easy to embarrass anymore. "Are you okay with that?" Without hesitation, Kazuto leaned up and caught her lips in a soft kiss, making her blush a little. "K-kazuto…"

"I-I'm more than okay with that." He replied, wanting to be able to show her that he was ready. But before he could say anything more, his stomach started growling. "Ah…"

"Hungry?" she asked with a smile. "We'll eat first." She helped him to a chair and brought the food to the table if it wasn't already there, sitting across from him as they had their meal. The night was peaceful, and their conversation mostly stayed on the game. After the leftovers were put away, Kazuto was on dish drying duty as Akemi washed everything. She finished first, so he was still drying dishes when she put her apron on the rack, trying to finish quickly. On the last dish, he felt a hand slide over his hip and sit just over where the bone was. "You're like a little house maid…" she giggled, nuzzling his cheek.

"H-hey, don't call me a maid…" he mumbled, enjoying the affection despite the maid comment. He felt her press against his back more, her other arm wrapping around his waist.

"Mmm, but you'd look good as a maid." She teased, kissing down his neck a little. "But… then again, I think you'd look better with nothing on…" Kazuto dropped the fork he was drying, feeling Akemi's hand slip under his shirt. "… Am I pushing it too far?"

"A-akemi…" he tried to keep his composure, feeling her rubbing his stomach with one finger. "Nnnn…" he squirmed a little, biting his lip. "Th-that tickles…"

"Oh…? I didn't know you were ticklish…" she said, not stopping her hands on his stomach. "That's kind of cute…" she added, making Kazuto shiver a little. "Where are you ticklish?"

"I-I'm not just going to tell you…" he mumbled, hoping she didn't find a more ticklish spot. But her hands began wandering and he didn't know how to refuse her anymore. "A-akemi, wait…" he pleaded, her hands skimming over his sides. "N-not here…"

"… Then where?" she asked with a smile. He turned to her, blushing even more than normal, looking like a helpless child. "The couch? Or the bed?" Kazuto knew there was no escaping her at this point. Everything about today told him that.

"Th-the bed… I don't want you to fall off…" he mumbled, putting down the drying towel before staring into her eyes. She smiled and hugged him again.

"You're so cute, giving into my demands." She led him to the bedroom, smiling the whole way. "You're so innocent sometimes… I kind of want to see how difficult it is to get you to enjoy it more."

"I-it's probably not that hard… s-so stop saying weird things…" he mumbled, not knowing just what she was planning. "A-and I'm getting payback later, too."

"That's fine with me, Kazuto." She closed the door as he entered the room. He felt her push him onto the bed and blushed more, feeling her hands both get under his shirt. "So long as you think you can handle paying me back." Kazuto didn't understand why, but he smiled.

"I think I can handle it…" he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "So long as you don't mind playing the victim for once."

* * *

((I hope you liked it ; u ;... its so lovey dovey...

Anyways, beware that I'm coming out with a separate story - "Chapter 16.5 - Romance" for the... how shall we say, intimate portion of this chapter?

I'm leaving it separate so if you don't want to read it you don't have to. And if you do read it, then that's your own choice.

Thanks for reading ; u ; The seriousness begins next chapter! Be warned!

-Winter Cheshire))


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